Harsher Than The Bark
by TheSafestPsychoticBitchInTown
Summary: It wasn't her falling for him that was surprising. It was him falling for her. She never expected that to happen. She could never have guessed when she first saw him that he would become her everything. Much like he didn't know she was, in fact, the light that he had been longing for to pull him out of the darkness that surrounded him.
1. Chapter 1: Frightened By The Bite

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: Welcome! I have a few quick notes...feel free to read them before continuing on to the actual fic. First of all this is my take on Scott having a twin sister and hopefully it won't seem identical to all the other ones out there. Second, every chapter is an episode except for maybe a few when it's summer (etc.) Third, please follow, favourite and review if you like it. Tell me what you like about it and what you don't, tell me what you'd like to see more of and feel free to PM me about anything if you don't want to leave it in a review. Also, I have the whole first season written I just need to do some editing so updates will come fairly quickly although I will probably choose a specific day to start updating on so there is a consistency. **

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognise, I obviously do not own but anything you don't then it's come from my own imagination which is mostly the few other OC's I've thrown in there.**

**Enjoy...**

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_**'You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.' – Dr Seuss**_

**_*Chapter 1*_**

_Another school year. One year closer to getting the hell out of this town, _Scarlett thought as she stared at herself in the mirror of her vanity.

School started tomorrow and she was more than ready to go back. Although she would never admit it out loud for fear of getting slated, she actually really liked school. She was smart, always one of the top students in her class and she was popular. Of course, popularity came with the territory of being a cheerleader and being best friends with Lydia Martin.

The sound of her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts and she picked it up from where it sat. Looking at the name and picture that appeared on the screen she smirked.

_Speak of the devil…_

She clicked the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"If you're calling to question me about what I'm wearing tomorrow, it's cool. I have a 'Lydia approved' outfit picked out already." Scarlett said with a smile.

"_Good I'm glad. I don't want a repeat of last year." _Lydia replied. She could just imagine the horrified look on her best friend's face as she thought about what she'd worn the first day of school last year.

"Hey! It wasn't even that bad…"

"_You wore flare jeans. Who wears flare jeans anymore?" _Lydia asked sceptically.

"Good point." Scarlett shrugged, agreeing with Lydia.

"_Anyway, I'm not calling about fashion this time. I'm calling about Jackson." _

Scarlett froze but then sighed before replying.

"I've told you already that I'm cool with it.I mean,_ I_ ended it with _him _remember? And plus, you guys are pretty cute together anyway."

"_I know right…" _Lydia said distantly. _"I'm just happy that it's all good with you because it'll be public tomorrow." _

"I'm completely fine with it. Jackson and I are still friends. That hasn't changed-" Scarlett stopped when she heard a noise. She looked around and decided to go and see Scott.

"_Scar? You there?" _Lydia asked.

"Yeah, yeah sorry. Um, yeah you and Jackson. Totally cute so no worries. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"_Okay. You better be wearing something extremely cute tomorrow or I swear I'll kick your ass."_ Lydia warned her. Scarlett laughed a bit at the threat.

"I will, promise. Bye." She said before ending the call and setting down her phone on the bed.

Scarlett carefully made her way out of her room and walked down the hall to Scott's room.

She let out a small shriek at Scott opening the door just as she was about to.

"Scott what the hell? Why are you holding a freaking bat?" She asked frantically.

"I heard a noise." He said in answer to her question. "I'm gonna go check it out. You should stay here."

Scott walked past her and started heading down the stairs. Scarlett looked after him with an incredulous looks. She heard another noise and jumped.

"Screw staying here." She murmured before all but running after her twin.

When she caught up to Scott he was walking out the front door cautiously so she got right behind him, wanting to stay as close as possible without looking like a wimp.

"I thought I told you to stay inside." He whispered/hissed at her.

"You may be slightly older than me but you're not the boss of me." She retorted, sounding childish.

He rolled his eyes at her and kept on walking outside onto the porch, the bat in his hands raised as if he was about to whack a baseball.

"What was that?" Scarlett asked quietly when she heard yet another noise.

Scott didn't answer, he just walked closer to the railing and when he did someone hung upside down from the roof, screaming. Then Scott started screaming which caused Scarlett to start screaming.

"Stiles what the hell are you doing?!" Scott yelled at his best friend.

"You freaking scared me you idiot!" Scarlett shouted at Stiles as well and let go of her brother's arm when she noticed how tightly she'd been gripping it.

"You weren't answering your phone!" Stiles said as if it was obvious. He then seemed to notice the bat in Scott's hands and questioned it.

"I thought you were a predator." Scott said helplessly.

"A pred- ugh, look I know it's late but you gotta hear this." Stiles explained making Scarlett roll her eyes and cross her arms across her chest as she realised how cold it was.

"You have two minutes to explain Stilinski before I take that bat and beat you with it." She threatened with a light tone.

"Whoa. What's with the threat?" Stiles asked her.

"I'm tired." She replied simply. He took a moment to process that before he started talking again.

"Anyway, I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer in the Beacon department and even state police."

"For what?" Scott asked, voicing Scarlett's unasked question.

"Two joggers found a body in the woods." Stiles said before jumping down from the rooftop.

"A dead body?" Scott asked, earning a strange look from his sister.

"No. A body of water." Stiles answered sarcastically making Scarlett grin slightly. "Yes dumbass. A dead body."

Stiles climbed over the railing and onto the porch to stand in front of Scott and Scarlett.

"You mean like murdered?" Scott asked.

"Nobody knows yet. It was a girl, probably in her twenties." Stiles explained further.

"Wait, if they've already found the body then what the hell is everyone getting called in for?" Scarlett asked, not understanding what was so interesting.

"Well that's the best part." Stiles answered her, looking excited. "They only found half."

"Oh that is disgusting." Scarlett said and she gagged slightly at the thought of someone chopped in half. What a horrible way to die. She shuddered and this time it wasn't from the cold.

"I don't know why I let myself be talked into this." Scarlett mumbled as she got out of Stiles' blue jeep. She read the sign at the beginning of the woods that said: BEACON HILLS PRESERVE. NO ENTRY AFTER DARK.

Of course she had been out in the woods after dark loads of times before, enjoying the peace that came with no one being around. She escaped there to write in her diary sometimes but tonight, she just didn't feel right about going in there.

"Think of it as an adventure Scar. You like adventures." Stiles said to her with a smirk. She gave him an incredulous look.

"Yeah, to a certain extent Stiles. I don't particularly feel good about going on an adventure to find half of a dead girl who was most likely murdered. Murdered by a crazy person who might still be out here!" She said, expressing her worry of possibly being attacked or killed by some mad man.

"She does have a good point Stiles. I mean, I was going to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott said, backing up Scarlett as they started into the woods.

"Yeah because sitting on the bench is such a gruelling effort." Stiles retorted sarcastically causing Scarlett to role her eyes. She knew that Scott probably didn't have a chance at making first line for the lacrosse team this year, just like he didn't make it on last year. Mostly due to him being asthmatic and really clumsy but she wasn't going to say anything about it. Stiles on the other hand was just point blank rude and she kind of felt bad for her twin.

"Well, I'm playing this year. In fact I'm making first line." Scott said with his voice full of determination. Scarlett smiled at that.

"Hey, that's the spirit! Everyone should have a dream. Even a pathetically unrealistic one." Stiles joked again. Scarlett just rolled her eyes again and followed Stiles, staying close to Scott.

"Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott asked.

"I was actually wondering the same thing…" Scarlett said. She had realised a little while ago that Stiles had never specified.

"Huh. I didn't even think about that." Stiles said with a slight laugh.

"And what if whoever killed the body is still out here, like Scar said."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm too comfortable with that." Scarlett added on.

"Also something I didn't think about." Stiles admitted.

"What exactly _did_ you think about when you dragged us out here then?" Scarlett asked Stiles with a raised brow.

"I was thinking how freaking cool it would be to find half of a body before the police did." He answered her casually.

She just blew out a breath and tried to shove her hands further into the pockets of her jacket, fighting off the cold nip of the air.

When they got to a slight hill covered in fallen leaves, Scarlett kind of dreaded having to go up it. She really wasn't in the mood for getting her hands all dirty.

Stiles was the first to go up so when he got to the top he turned around and helped Scarlett the rest of the way up. She thought it was a small but sweet gesture. When she was at the top she heard Scott breathing heavily. She turned around to see him leaning against a tree.

"Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight." He wheezed, taking out his inhaler and climbing up the rest of the way to meet Stiles and Scarlett. Well, really just Scarlett considering Stiles was lying on the ground.

"Stiles, what the h-" Scarlett's question was cut off by Stiles yanking her arm, causing her to fall down beside him. He made a gesture to keep quiet and she did so as Scott got down as well.

She could see the light coming from the flashlights up ahead. She heard talking and the barking of dogs and she realised that it was the big search party of police. She cursed quietly, thinking that they were definitely going to be busted for being out this late.

"Okay come on." Stiles said suddenly before taking off running. Scarlett groaned and got up, running after him.

"Stiles!" She hissed quietly at him as they ran.

They were even closer to the police now and her heart started racing. _Oh god. We're definitely getting caught,_ she thought as she ran faster. _Shit. Shit. Shit. _

"Stiles, wait!" Scarlett grabbed onto his arm and he stopped and looked back at her and she looked back at Scott but he was a bit further behind. When she looked back she jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with a blinding light, a barking dog and a shouting police officer.

"Stay right there!" The officer said. Scarlett clung to Stiles' arm even tighter, scared of what was going to happen.

"Hang on. Hang on." She heard the familiar voice of Sheriff Stilinski say. "These little delinquents belong to me."

Her nerves were going out of control. They had been caught and now her mom was going to be super pissed. Why the hell had she gone with them?

She relaxed in the slightest when she realised that Scott hadn't been found and she was with Stiles who would probably make up some excuse to get them out of trouble.

"Sheriff…" Scarlett greeted, not knowing what else to do.

"Dad, how are you doing?" Stiles asked awkwardly.

"Scarlett." Sheriff Stilinski said sternly. "So, do you listen in to all my calls?" His attention was turned to Stiles.

"No. Not the boring ones."

"And where's your usual partner in crime?" The Sheriff asked, noticing that it was usually the other McCall that was with Stiles.

"Who Scott? He's not-he's not here. It's just… the two of us. We were just um…making out." Scarlett's eyes widened at Stiles' excuse and she elbowed him subtly.

The Sheriff looked like he didn't believe a word.

"Somehow, I find it very hard to believe that you two are…together." He said suspiciously. Then, Scarlett decided to step in and at least _try_ to save their asses.

"Who us? Yeah, it was just recently that we uh, discovered our…_feelings_, for each other." She stepped closer to Stiles and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Isn't that right Stiles?" She squeezed his arm to the point where it was painful.

"Yup. Yes. It's, you just can't fight a love like this." Stiles said motioning between the two of them.

"Uh-huh…Scott! You out there?" The Sheriff called out, shining the flashlight in every direction. Clearly, he didn't buy any of the crap that Scarlett and Stiles were spewing. He sighed when there was no answer and walked towards the two teens who were still just standing there. "Well, you two. I'm gonna walk you back to your car and we're going to have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy. And I will also be mentioning this to Melissa."

"I figured as much…" Scarlett mumbled under her breath. Of course he was going to tell her mom and her mom was going to flip shit. She kind of hoped that Sheriff Stilinski would write it off as not that bad though. He'd done it in the past when she's gotten into trouble with Scott and Stiles. The Sheriff had always had a soft spot for Scarlett and Scott. He saw the need to be a sort of father-figure in their lives considering their own father bailed years ago.

When they arrived back at Stiles' jeep, Scarlett looked around hoping to maybe find Scott. She was really worried about him. It's not as if he knew the woods well or anything and oh God, what if the killer really was still out there and Scott's all alone? The very thought of her twin being hurt was enough to make her feel sick.

"Make sure Scarlett gets home safely and then you, get your ass straight home." The Sheriff told his son sternly before turning to Scarlett. "Keep yourself out of trouble with these two, alright kiddo?"

"Alright Sheriff." She nodded with a small laugh.

"Okay, you two get going." He nodded towards the jeep which Stiles had already started and Scarlett walked to the passenger's side. She opened the door and hopped in, slamming the door shut.

"Hey, watch the jeep." Stiles complained. She gave him an 'are you serious' look and he just shrugged.

"Stiles, I'm worried about Scott. Maybe we should try and find him." Scarlett said when Stiles started to reverse.

"He'll be fine Scar. It isn't that far to walk to your house and how hard could it be to get out of the woods?" He said, trying to reassure her.

"This is Scott we're talking about. My_ brother_ Scott. I mean, I love him but he really doesn't have any sense of direction like…at all. And if he's out there alone and there's a freaking killer on the loose and he can't find his way back and _oh crap_…what are we gonna do?" Scarlett panicked. She was finding it hard to breathe properly whilst worrying so much about her brother.

Stiles stopped the car and turned to face her, putting both of his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to calm down.

"Hey listen, he'll be _fine. _You know he will. You're worrying about nothing alright?" His tone was soothing and she decided to listen to him and try to stop worrying. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trusting what Stiles said.

"You're right. I'm just being paranoid. Nothing's going to happen to him. I mean, this is Beacon Hills after all. Nothing ever happens here." She said, trying to reassure herself more than anything.

"See? It's fine. Now, I'm gonna drive you home and you're gonna go to bed and when you wake up Scott will be home. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

"_Gooood morning Beacon Hills! It's time to rise and shine! Beacon Hills High is back in session and you kids don't wanna be late…" _

Scarlett groaned at the horribly irritating voice of the man on the radio. She reached an arm out of her sheets and slammed her hand down on the radio/ alarm clock, effectively getting it to shut up.

She wrapped the sheets tighter around herself and closed her eyes again, really regretting going out with Stiles and Scott last night.

She bolted upright when she remembered that they had left Scott in the woods. She threw her covers off of her and briskly walked out of her room, down the hall and into Scott's bedroom. She wasted no time in barging in through the door.

Scarlett sighed in relief when she saw her brother sitting up in bed, giving her a strange look.

"Oh thank God you got back okay!" She said, leaning on the door frame.

"Yeah…thanks for leaving me there by the way." He said sarcastically, making Scarlett feel bad about it.

"I'm so sorry. But hey, at least you didn't get caught being out late…" She said trying to smooth things over.

"I guess but it was weird. Like, really weird. There was this stampede of deer and then I heard this- this growling." Scott began to explain to her.

"Growling? What kind of growling?" Scarlett asked.

"Like a…wolf."

"A wolf, Scott really?" She asked him, not really believing that it could've been such a thing.

"Seriously Scar. It bit me and everything." He said, making Scarlett's eyes go wide.

"Something bit you? Oh my God. Scott, are you alright? Dammit. I knew we should've gone looking for you." She said, cursing herself for not demanding that they wait for Scott.

"It's…fine. I'm gonna get ready though so…" He said, giving her a look that said 'please get out.'

"Oh yeah, sorry. Well, I'll see you at school then, unless you want a ride?" She asked as she was halfway out the door.

"It's my turn for the car anyway."

"No it isn't. So you can either let me drive or you can take your bike."

"Fine. You drive." Scott rolled his eyes at the smirk that graced her face at the fact she got to drive.

* * *

Scarlett found a space in the parking lot of the school and pulled into it. After she turned off the engine she sat in the little black mini cooper and checked her appearance again.

"I'm older. I should get to drive." Scott said as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"You're older by twenty minutes. Get over yourself." She laughed slightly and grabbed her schoolbag, getting out of the car.

"See you later." She said to him as he began to walk off to find Stiles.

"Yeah, see ya." He mumbled over his shoulder. She shrugged and shouldered her bag, walking towards the school to find Lydia.

When Scarlett found the familiar strawberry blonde she was looking for, she smiled at her and Lydia immediately pulled her into a hug.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She said.

"It's been like two weeks since that shopping trip." Scarlett replied with a laugh.

"Whatever…you were right by the way. That outfit is most definitely Lydia approved." She smirked as she looked at what Scarlett was wearing. Scarlett, in turn, looked down at her mid-thigh dark blue dress and grinned back at Lydia.

"I told you it would be." They started walking towards the entrance of the school and as they did they chatted about random things.

"So do you have try outs today?" She asked, mildly interested in Scarlett's cheerleading activities.

"Yeah. I better freaking make the squad again. If I don't then I'll be super pissed."

"You will. I've seen you cheer before." Lydia winked at her. Scarlett rolled her eyes but laughed.

"So where's Jackson? I thought you two were 'public' now." Scarlett asked her best friend with a smirk.

"He's somewhere inside waiting for me." Lydia said as she flipped her hair back with her hand.

Scarlett saw that they were approaching her brother and Stiles and she gave them a small smile when she heard Stiles talking.

"Since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey Lydia." He said, trying to get her attention.

Lydia completely ignored him and Scarlett felt kind of bad. She knew that Stiles had the biggest crush ever on Lydia and it had been that way since the third grade but Lydia just wouldn't give him the time of day.

* * *

"Who's that?" Scarlett asked her brother when she noticed him making eyes at a girl she'd never seen before.

"What? Who? Her? Um…I think her name is Allison. She's new." He said kind of dreamily.

"Hm. I'm gonna go say hi. And if you like her then I suggest you do the same at some point instead of being all stalker-like." She said in a teasing tone before walking over to the girl, Allison, at the same time Lydia did.

"Hey Scar." Lydia greeted her before turning her attention to Allison. "That jacket is… absolutely killer."

"I wholeheartedly agree. It's gorgeous." Scarlett added in, giving the new girl a friendly smile. She was really pretty and she had this innocent look about her, no wonder her brother was interested in her.

"Where'd you get it?" Lydia asked.

"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco…" Allison explained to both of the girls. Scarlett nodded, finding it kind of fascinating. She must have some other really cute clothes then.

"And _you_ are my new best friend. Well, my other best friend." Lydia added as an afterthought. She'd obviously been thinking the same thing as Scarlett about the clothes then.

"Well I guess that means you're my new best friend as well…Allison, right?" Scarlett questioned.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Allison asked sceptically.

"My brother told me. His name's Scott, you know…the guy who kinda looks like a lost puppy. In fact, he's right over there." Scarlett pointed across the hall to where her twin was standing with Stiles.

"Oh yeah. He's um, in my class." Allison said, blushing a bit. Scarlett smirked. So finally a girl actually liked her brother in return. That was good. She was happy for him.

"Hey Jackson…" She heard Lydia say so she turned around to be met with the sight of Lydia kissing or rather, making out with Jackson.

Scarlett didn't find it as awkward as she thought she would have. She and Jackson had been together for a while but eventually she broke it off because he was such a douchebag and she had also known that Lydia kind of liked him. Due to that reason, Lydia snatched him right up at the beginning of the summer and Scarlett was completely fine with it.

When they were done making out, Jackson acknowledged Scarlett.

"Scarlett." He gave her a curt nod and she did the same.

"Good summer Jackson?" She questioned, being friendly.

"Yeah, it was great." He said with a knowing smile as he looked at Lydia.

"So, this weekend there's a party." Lydia announced to Allison who had been rather quiet.

"A party?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, Friday night. You should come." Jackson answered.

"Uh, I can't. It's family night this Friday." Allison said although Scarlett could tell she made that up on the spot. Family night? How old was that excuse? She wasn't going to question it though. Allison was new and maybe she wasn't the partying type so Scarlett thought it best to just leave her be.

"You sure?" Jackson asked. "I mean, everyone's going after the scrimmage."

"If she doesn't want to go then she doesn't have to." Scarlett said, sticking up for Allison.

"I'm just asking her." Jackson replied smoothly.

"You mean like football?" Allison asked curiously.

"Football's a joke here at Beacon. The sport here's lacrosse. We've won state championship for the past three years."

"Because of our epic cheer squad." Scarlett boasted with a smirk, earning a smile from Allison.

"_And _because of a certain team captain." Lydia said, fixing Jackson's hair for him.

"We have practice in a few minutes. That is if you don't have anywhere else to be…"

"Well, I was going to uh-"

"Perfect." Lydia interrupted Allison before her and Jackson walked away.

"It's really not that bad. I mean, you can always just watch the cheerleaders or maybe try out for the squad…?" Scarlett said slyly.

"Oh no. I don't think cheerleading is my thing…at all." Allison said with a laugh. "I take it you're on the squad though?"

"Well, technically no. I still have to try out but I'm one of the best damn cheerleaders in the school and I can say that proudly without feeling bad." Scarlett said. And it was true. She definitely was one of the best because she had worked hard for it and it would be outrageous if she didn't make the squad this year.

"Come on, let's go find Lydia." Scarlett says, taking Allison gently by the arm and leading her outside.

* * *

Scarlett emerged from the girls' locker room dressed in a sports bra and shorts. She walked across the field with some of the other girls and tied her long brown hair up as she did so.

She saw her brother and Stiles and she decided to quickly wish them good luck, although the chances of that helping at all were very, very slim.

"Hey, good luck today guys. I'm sure you'll do great." She said with a cheery voice.

"Thanks Scar." They both said. She smiled and walked away from them to the rest of the girls trying out.

On her way over she passed by Jackson who couldn't help himself from looking her up and down and then winking at her. She made a disgusted face and flipped him off as she walked by.

"Alright girls!" The cheer captain, Brooke Parker, called out. "We're gonna go over a routine. It obviously includes flips, jumps and splits. If you _know_ you can't do any of that then you should just leave now."

Oh yeah, Brooke was a bitch and Scarlett hated her.

Brooke looked at everyone, as if she was judging them which she probably was but no one moved a muscle. Scarlett stared right back, wanting to get this over with.

"Okay then…can someone start the music?" Brooke asked. One of the other girls pressed play on the music and the song started. "I'm gonna show you this twice only and then I want to see you do it by yourselves, got it?"

There was a murmur of 'yeahs.' And Brooke took that as her cue to start.

"5! 6! 7! 8!" She shouted as she began showing them the routine which was pretty simple and it looked almost identical to the one from last year so Scarlett picked it up straight away and she began doing the moves perfectly.

* * *

"Wait, why are you here again?" Stiles asked as they walked through the woods with Scott.

"Wow Stiles and here I was thinking we were friends." Scarlett retorted.

"No, I obviously didn't mean it like that, I just uh-"

"I was bored. And after last night I'm paranoid you're going to leave Scott out here again." Scarlett told him honestly.

"Hey, you left him as well it wasn't just-"

"Guys!" Scott snapped. "Shut up."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and tuned the two of them out as she walked. Instead, she took in the scenery and how beautiful the woods really were.

She loved coming here. It was her place to escape, to breathe and be away from everyone else. She felt like it gave her some sort of freedom which is what she had always wanted…

Scarlett turned her attention back to Scott and Stiles when she heard Stiles say the word 'lycanthropy.' She found that odd and decided to ask him about it.

"The hell Stiles?" She asked, giving him a strange look. Stiles looked at her and smirked, shaking his head slightly.

"What's that? Is that bad?" Scott asked, seeming clueless as to what the word meant.

"Oh yeah, it's the worst but only once a month." Periods. That's the first thought that came to Scarlett's head although she knew Stiles was talking about werewolves.

"Once a month?" Scott asked quietly.

"Mhm. On the night of the full moon…" Stiles then imitated the sound of a wolf howling and Scott shoved him, making Stiles laugh. "Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howl."

Scarlett rolled her eyes but still smiled a bit. Her twin was completely clueless sometimes and it was just funny to mess with him.

"It's not funny. There could be something seriously wrong with me." Scott said, not seeming at all happy.

"I know! You're a werewolf!" Stiles exclaimed.

"He's obviously kidding Scott. Werewolves aren't real and nothing is going to happen to you. If it was a rabid animal that bit you then I think you would know about it by now." Scarlett said, reassuring Scott.

"Yeah, well maybe that's true but if you see me in shop class trying to melt down all the silver I can find then it's because Friday's a full moon." Stiles said. He seemed to only be making things worse.

When the three of them stopped walking, Scott started talking again.

"I could've sworn this was it. I mean, I saw the body. The deer came running. I dropped my inhaler." He said, bending down to look for it. Scarlett, being the ever so kind sister she was decided to help him and she crouched down as well, raking through the leaves.

"Maybe the killer moved the body." Stiles suggested.

"And what? Stole Scott's inhaler while he was at it?" Scarlett asked sarcastically as she looked up at Stiles. He gave her a look and shrugged as she went back to searching.

"Those things are like…eighty bucks." Scott complained. That's very true. It would suck to have to get a new one and their mom certainly wouldn't be happy about it.

Scarlett looked up again when Stiles hit Scott telling him to get up and pointing to something behind the twins.

Scarlett turned her head and her eyes widened at the guy standing there. She quickly jumped up but from the position she was previously in, she was sure the guy had gotten a pretty good view of her ass.

Her heart melted a little at the sight of him. He was the definition of sexy _and_ mysterious. He was clad in all black which was incredibly attractive to Scarlett and he was also wearing a leather jacket that just screamed 'bad boy.'

He glanced at her and that's when she realised she'd been staring and instantly felt embarrassed about it so she looked away.

When she heard the leaves crunching she couldn't help but look up again and notice how his eyes were still on her. They looked at each other for a minute before he started talking, more to Scott and Stiles than her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Holy crap, Scarlett thought. His voice was just as beautiful as he was. It was deep but smooth and silky and she really liked it. "This is private property."

"Uh, sorry man. We didn't know." Stiles told him awkwardly.

"We were just…looking for something but, uh, forget it." Scott stuttered, obviously intimidated by this guy. He tossed Scott his inhaler, earning a strange look from the two boys.

Scarlett's eyes remained on the guy and she should've felt extremely awkward but she was just so entranced by him. Her heart fluttered just a little bit when he looked at her again. He looked as if he were assessing her, taking in her features.

She felt her cheeks heat up when he subtly checked her out. Well, it really wasn't that subtle considering she caught him doing it but at least Scott and Stiles didn't notice. Maybe he didn't care if she saw. Maybe he wanted her to see but then again, maybe not.

Scarlett fought the small smile that was threatening to appear on her face by biting her lip which caused the mysterious guy to suck in a sharp breath and turn to walk away.

When he was gone Scarlett felt herself snap out of some sort of trance. She looked at Scott and Stiles who were both quiet and confused.

"Alright, come on. I gotta get to work." Scott said quietly but Stiles put a hand on his chest stopping him.

"Dude! That was _Derek Hale_." That name sounded very familiar to Scarlett but she didn't know where she'd heard it before. "You remember right? He's only like a few years older than us." Which was good news for Scarlett.

"Derek Hale…" She tested the name out loud and then it suddenly clicked. "Derek Hale? As in the guy whose family burned in that fire?"

"Yeah. That's the one. But that was like ten years ago." Stiles told them both. Scarlett automatically felt bad for Derek. It must be horrible. To not have a family. She shuddered at the thought. Her family was small, sure, but it was still her family and she couldn't bear to live without them.

"I wonder what he's doing back…" Scott said.

Stiles had no answer to that so he just made a scoffing noise and told them that they should get going.

* * *

"Well you seem awfully distracted sugar pie. You ain't flirting with the customers half as much as you usually do." Scarlett looked up, startled by the sudden loudness of her co-worker Mary's voice.

"I do _not_ flirt with the customers. I'm just nice to them so they tip better." Scarlett says with a smirk. "And I'm not distracted either."

Although, that wasn't exactly true. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about Derek Hale. His face, his voice, what happened to his family…

"Oh no honey. I know that look. You're thinking about a boy aren't ya?" Mary asked, seeming keen to figure out what Scarlett was thinking about. "That Jackson kid?"

Scarlett scoffed at that. Why would she be thinking about Jackson?

"Definitely not him."

"So then it _is_ a boy!" Mary said with a laugh.

"No," Scarlett couldn't help but laugh as well because Mary had one of those infectious laughs. "There is no boy Mary!"

"Alrighty. Whatever you say pumpkin." Mary held up her hands in defence but winked and walked away to take orders from a table.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She loved Mary. Everyone loved Mary. She was in her mid- twenties, she was blonde, beautiful and had this bubbly, charming personality. And let's not forget her country accent that was just _adorable_. She had been working at _Aroma Dolce _already when Scarlett had started working there a year or so ago.

Scarlett checked her phone and realised her shift was over. She sighed with relief. Usually, she didn't mind working at the café. She actually enjoyed it but she couldn't wait to get home because she was so tired.

She went about finding her bag and gathering her belongings. When she was about to head out, she heard Mary.

"You have a nice night sugar. I'll see you tomorrow." She said with a warm smile.

"Night Mary." Scarlett replied, returning the smile. She headed out the back door and walked down the street to where she'd parked her car.

She felt eyes on her when she was unlocking the car and she looked up to see none other than Derek Hale across the road. He seemed to be concentrating on something. Something that was clearly in her direction so she looked around and saw nothing. When she looked back across the road there was no Derek, just a street light. She found that very odd. What the hell was he doing there just _staring_? It was kind of creepy but at the same time, if he was staring at her then she didn't really mind.

Scarlett shook her head and opened the door to her car, getting in and driving away, wanting to be at home. In bed. Sleeping.

* * *

"Hey Scar, I just need to borrow you for a sec. Excuse us." Stiles said, literally pulling Scarlett away from the girl she was talking to.

"What the hell Stiles?" She asked when he stopped walking.

"Scott wouldn't listen to me so I thought I'd tell you instead." Scarlett made a motion for him to continue so he did. "So, they got the lab results back and they found animal hair on the body."

"Seriously? What kind of animal could rip a person in half?"

"I don't know… but it was wolf hair." Scarlett's eyes widened as she took in the information.

"So Scott was right? It was a wolf he saw or heard or whatever?"

"Yeah, I guess it was." Stiles answered.

"Oh my God… Stiles, that means he got bitten by a freaking wolf!" Scarlett said, trying her best to not completely freak out although it was difficult when she had just found out that it really _was _some random wolf that bit her brother. That wolf might have _killed_ someone and he didn't even go to get the bite checked out.

"McCall! Get your ass back over here!" Scarlett turned at the sound of Brooke's obnoxious voice.

"Look, Stiles. I gotta go but you need to tell Scott about this." She said before jogging back to the other girls.

"Well congratulations McCall. You get to be on the squad again and who knows, maybe your brother will make it into first line." Brooke told her, not looking too pleased about the news that made Scarlett extremely happy.

Scarlett smiled brightly and went to the new squad of cheerleaders, receiving lots of congratulations from different people.

The squad learned, practiced and then practically mastered their first real cheer routine and by the end of it Scarlett was a mess. Her breathing was shallow and she was drenched in sweat but then again, so was everyone else.

"Hey, that was some really good cheering out there Scar." Lydia complimented Scarlett when they met up after Scarlett was changed.

"Why thank you." She said, giving a dramatic bow.

"Do you need a ride?" Lydia asked as they walked to the parking lot. Scott had asked for the keys earlier so he probably had the car now.

"Um yeah, thanks." Scarlett smiled at Lydia and they both went to her car and got in.

"So what are you wearing tonight?" Lydia questioned as she drove.

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it…probably a dress or some kick-ass skinny jeans. Depends on my mood." Scarlett answered.

"You should try and find a hot guy tonight." Lydia said out of the blue causing Scarlett to give her a strange look.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because now that I'm with Jackson you just seem lonely and I think a boyfriend would fix that problem. Besides, you're way too pretty to be single."

"I'm not…lonely. And it's not as if I'm incapable of getting a boyfriend, it's just that I haven't found a guy that I actually like yet." Scarlett shrugged.

"Exactly! That's why I'm telling you to be on the look-out tonight. You never know when some random hot guy is gonna appear."

When Lydia said that, an image of Derek randomly popped into Scarlett's head. Well, it kind of made sense. He was random _and_ hot …

"Whatever you say Lyds." Scarlett said with a sigh, looking out the window of the car.

* * *

Scarlett was walking past Scott's room when she saw her mom talking to him. She walked into the room a bit and listened to what they were saying.

"And her name is?" Her mom asked excitedly.

"Allison." Scott replied, looking a little shy.

"And she's _really_ pretty." Scarlett drawled as she stood behind her mother with both hands on her shoulders. Melissa turned around and smiled at her daughter.

"Really?" She asked with wide eyes before looking back to Scott.

"Why do you sound so surprised that I could get a pretty girl?" Scott asked, sounding mildly offended.

"I'm not surprised! What girl wouldn't want you? You're just so cute." Melissa reassured her son.

"It takes more than cuteness these days mom." Scarlett sighed and turned to walk out but her mom called her back.

"And are you going with someone missy?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

"Nope. I'm flying solo tonight." Scarlett replied smoothly before walking back to her bedroom to continue getting ready. From her room though she could hear her mom ranting to Scott about not wanting to end up on a reality TV show because her son got a girl pregnant at sixteen and she couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"I hope you don't mind me semi-crashing your date Scott." Scarlett said as she got into the passenger's seat.

"No, it's fine but you're gonna have to move when we pick Allison up."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She smiled at him and he started driving.

"You know, I'm glad that you're going on this date with her. I mean, believe it or not I actually want you to be happy and it seems like Allison does exactly that." Scarlett said after a while of comfortable silence.

"Yeah, she does." Scott said with a distant voice.

"Hey, I didn't want to bring it up tonight but did you talk to Stiles about the whole_ wolf_ thing?"

She saw Scott's grip on the steering wheel tighten to the point where his knuckles were white. She wondered what caused him to react like that. Did something happen that she didn't know about?

"Yeah, he did."

"And what did he say?" She asked him again, feeling like she was having to extract the information from him.

"He thinks that I'm-he thinks that I'm a freaking werewolf okay?" Scott snapped, looking frustrated.

"A werewolf? Wow. Stiles has officially lost his mind." Scarlett laughed but her laughter died down when she saw Scott still had a straight face. "Wait, you don't actually believe him do you?"

"I-I don't know what I believe. I just wanna get through tonight without embarrassing myself in front of the girl I like."

"He's probably just messing with you Scott; I wouldn't worry too much about it. And you won't embarrass yourself." She said, reassuring him.

Scarlett picked up a plastic red cup filled with some sort of alcohol, most likely beer, and began drinking it whilst searching for any sign of Lydia.

She had left Scott and Allison a few minutes ago, not wanting to intrude any further on their date and she decided she didn't want to spend the whole evening alone but that was kind of hard to do when she couldn't even find her best friend.

When she really couldn't search anymore, Scarlett settled for talking to some random girls from school and drinking until she could find someone that was hot enough to make out with.

Her attention turned to a cute boy with short, curly brown hair and freckles across his nose.

"What's up Scarlett?" He slurred, clearly drunk.

"Not much…" What was his name again? Spencer? Steve…? S-S…

"Sam." He reminded her.

"Oh yeah, I knew that." She probably should've known that. She was pretty sure that he was on the lacrosse team and a year older than her.

They chatted mindlessly for a while before he eventually leaned in and they started kissing. It wasn't good or anything. It was just a kiss. A distraction from the boredom she felt was eating away at her.

"Let's go dance." She suggested and she led them outside where most of the dancing was taking place. If you could even call it dancing. What it really was, was a bunch of drunken teens grinding up against each other trying to keep in time with the beat of the song.

Scarlett wasn't by any means a fan of the drunk grinding but she did it anyway because that's just what you did at parties.

Sam stood behind her with his hands on her hips as she swayed them to the song. She took another gulp from the plastic cup and felt herself get slightly more drunk.

Eventually, she felt his hands touch her ass and she decided to stop it there. She didn't really like to be touched so even him having his hands on her hips was enough to bother her. Sure, if she wanted someone to touch her she would have no problem with it but there was always the issue of personal space with her and she just felt uncomfortable.

"And… we're done now. It was nice meeting you Steve." She nodded to him before turning to walk away.

"You've met me before! And it's Sam!" He called after her but she ignored him. She felt stupid for even getting slightly drunk. She just wanted to find Lydia or even her brother. Just someone that she could have a real conversation with.

She pushed her way through the masses of people and when she looked to a dark corner she could've sworn she saw Derek Hale. Or maybe she didn't. It was probably just the effects of the alcohol. Freaking hallucinations of really hot strangers that she would have no problem kissing.

Her thoughts of Derek were broken when she saw Scott not looking too hot. He could just be drunk but at the same time, he never usually looked like that when he was drunk which worried Scarlett and led her to believe that there was something wrong with him.

She ran after him, well more like stumbled after him and when she got to the front of the house she watched him get in the car and drive away, leaving Allison by herself.

"Where the hell did he go?" Scarlett asked Allison as she made her way towards her.

"I don't-I don't know. He didn't look good and then he just…left." She said, sounding disappointed.

"I'm sure there's a reason for it. I mean, my brother's a pretty weird kid." Scarlett laughed to try and lighten the mood but Allison continued to look upset. "Look, he would never just ditch you unless there was something wrong. So please, don't hate him for this and I'll kick his ass when I get home just for good measure."

Allison smiled in thanks.

"Scarlett. Allison." Scarlett turned when she heard the deep yet silky smooth voice say her name.

Derek was just standing there, looking sexy as ever, looking at them.

"I'm a friend of Scott's." Scarlett was about to object to his statement but he gave her a look that said 'don't you dare' and she kept her mouth shut. She was confused to say the least. Why the hell did he say he was Scott's friend when he's spoken to him a total of…once?

Allison and Scarlett both looked behind them to see the tail-lights of Scott's car fading away and when they looked back, Derek was a lot closer to them. Well, Scarlett in particular. And the closeness made her knees go weak. She was having what some would call a 'girly moment.' It was just the look he was giving her and the pretty colour of his eyes and oh God, he smelled amazing. Scarlett had always been fond of guys that smelled good for some odd reason.

"I'm Derek." He said charmingly.

"The guy from the woods, right?" Scarlett questioned.

"Guy from the woods?" Allison asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. I guess I was a little rude. I apologise. But let me make it up to you. Let me drive you both home." To Scarlett, anyone else saying that would have sounded extremely weird and creepy but for some reason it didn't sound that bad coming from Derek.

"Uh, sure. That'd actually be great because I really don't wanna walk home…like this." Scarlett motioned to herself in general and Derek smirked, clearly amused by her.

"Yeah, me neither." Allison added wearily.

"My car's right over there." Derek nodded to a whole row of cars and then motioned for the two girls to follow.

When he stopped in front of a sleek, black Camaro, Scarlett's jaw dropped.

"_This_ is your car?" She asked, impressed with it.

"Yeah." He replied with an air of confidence. It made sense to her, the car definitely matched the whole bad boy persona he had going on.

Scarlett opened the door carefully and moved the passenger's seat forward so that she could climb into the back. The car smelled amazing as well and she felt like even just sitting in it would somehow ruin it so she was really careful.

"Where to, Allison?" Derek asked when he started the car. She told him her address and he pulled out of the street incredibly fast and started driving at what Scarlett could only guess was illegal speeds.

When they arrived at Allison's house, Scarlett got out to hug Allison and say goodbye.

"I'll see you on Monday okay? And I'll talk to Scott. I really am sorry about him leaving you tonight Allison." Scarlett apologised on her idiot brother's behalf.

"It's fine. Like you said, there must have been a problem." Allison brushed it off, though it looked like she was really upset about it so Scarlett pulled her in for another hug and then waited until Allison was inside her house before she actually got back in Derek's car.

That's when the realisation hit her that she was alone. With Derek Hale. Her heart rate sped up but she tried to remain calm and look normal.

Before Derek could even ask, Scarlett told him her address and he started off down the road at top speeds yet again. It didn't bother Scarlett that much. She loved driving fast and it was so much better in such an amazing car.

"So, why'd you lie about being friends with Scott?" She questioned him casually.

"I couldn't just leave the two of you stranded there and Allison never would've let me drive her home if she thought I wasn't friends with Scott."

"Well, that just begs the question…why were you even at that party?"

"I was just passing through."

"I somehow find that hard to believe." She said with a slight grin.

"Well it's the truth, believe it or not." He told her, glancing at her sidelong and noticing how tired yet enticing she looked with her big brown doe eyes and her pouty lips…

"You know, I could've sworn I saw you the other night…when I was getting into my car." Derek visibly tensed but Scarlett seemed to miss it completely.

"You didn't." He said, making it sound final.

"Wow, okay. So I am going crazy then. That's just…fantastic."

"I want you to answer me honestly Scarlett," She got a chill when he said her name. A good chill. "What do you know about Scott's bite?"

"What do you m- wait, how do you know that Scott got bitten?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just answer the question."

"I don't know. Nothing, I guess. It's just a bite right?" She looked over at him and his look kind of worried her. It _was_ just a bite…right? There wasn't something that he knew that he wasn't telling her, was there?

"_Right_?" She questioned again.

"Yes." Was his answer. Well that was a crappy answer.

"Answer me honestly Derek," She saw him roll his eyes but smirk ever so slightly. "What do you know about this bite that I don't?"

The only thing that came to mind for her was what Stiles had said about the wolf hair and then Scott telling her that Stiles thought he was a werewolf but… that couldn't be it. That was just impossible and absurd.

"Do you believe in myths and legends?" He asked her.

"Not really no…what has that got to do with the bite though?"

"What about werewolves?"

"Oh for the love of God. Not you too." She said, raking a hand through her hair and fluffing it.

Derek couldn't help but notice how good that made her look. When she ran a hand through her hair. It made him want to run his fingers through it as well. It just looked so soft and- what the hell. Why was he thinking that?

"There's no such thing as werewolves. It's all bullshit made up to make money and scare children into doing what their told." She said, sounding agitated.

Derek tried hard to fight the small grin that wanted to spread across his face but he couldn't and she caught it.

"Are you…grinning?" She asked, shocked that such a thing existed. He just seemed to be angry all the time but underneath that he seemed…lonely. And she thought that his smile was really nice. It was small but she could tell he had one of those smiles that could light up an entire room.

"We're here." He announced. Ignoring her question completely.

She looked outside the window to see that he was right. He parked right outside her house, on the street and waited for her to get out.

She gathered her jacket from off of her lap and then was suddenly aware that her bare thigh was showing because of how short the dress was. He seemed to notice too but he didn't say anything. Of course he looked, he was a guy. And he noticed how her thigh and the rest of her leg was beautifully tanned and it looked so smooth. He looked back up at her face quickly to catch the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"So um, thanks for the ride Derek. It was…interesting." She said softly as she opened the door and looked at him one more time before actually getting out of the car.

"Goodnight Scarlett." He said, surprising even himself.

"Night." She replied with a small smile before shutting the car door. He watched as she made her way up to the house with confident steps. He was impressed by that considering she was still drunk and most people would be having a hard time walking in a straight line. Derek made sure that she got into the house safely before he sped off to find the other McCall.


	2. Chapter 2: Add It All Up

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favs! I'm really glad you guys are already enjoying the story because I'm enjoying writing it so here's chapter 2...**

* * *

Scarlett knocked on her brother's door even though it was already open. He looked at her but didn't say anything so she walked in and sat on his bed.

"What happened at practice today?" She asked as he flopped down on the bed next to her.

"What do you mean?" He mumbled. His face was buried in the bed and he looked worn out.

"I mean, you and Stiles just kinda ran off in the middle of it."

"So?"

"_So,_ what was that about?" She was pretty annoyed by his short answers.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter."

Scarlett was getting sick of his attitude and she snapped at him.

"Like hell it doesn't matter! Scott, I am your sister. You're freaking _twin_ and I know when something is bothering you. It's that weird twin telepathy thing that we have going on."

Scott didn't have time to reply before their mom stopped at his door.

"Hey you two, I've got the late shift again but I _am_ taking Saturday off to see your first game." Melissa said happily to her kids.

"Great." Scarlett smiled. Her mom never came to the games because she was always working so she was glad that she was coming to this one. It would give her a chance to make her proud and show her that all her hard work and practice does in fact pay off in her routines.

"No. Mom, you can't." Scott groaned. Scarlett rolled her eyes and Melissa walked into the room.

"No, I can and I will. Come on, one shift isn't gonna break us." She looked around the room before adding, "Not completely," as an afterthought.

"I'm sure it won't mom." Scarlett said light-heartedly.

Melissa smiled at her daughter before she looked at Scott again, noticing something off about him.

"Hey, what's wrong with your eyes?" That caused Scott to sit upright and give his mom a questioning look. Scarlett took that as an opportunity to look and see what she was talking about.

"Dude, do you not sleep at all?" She asked her brother who gave her a weak glare.

"It's nothing. I'm just s-stressed…" Scott said although he sounded unsure of himself.  
"Just stress? Nothing else? I mean, it's not like you're on drugs or anything right?" Melissa asked with a worried laugh.

"Right now?" Scott asked. Melissa's eyes widen and she stammered when she spoke.

"Right _now? _Have you _ever_ taken drugs? Either of you?" She asked, sounding worried.

There was a small silence until Scarlett spoke up.

"Have you?" Melissa sent her a small glare but then looked thoughtful. She decided it would be best to just leave the topic alone.

"Get some sleep. You as well Scar." Melissa said as she walked back out of the room.

When she was gone Scarlett turned her attention back to Scott.

"So you're really not gonna tell me?" She asked, feeling shitty because her brother usually told her everything and now she was being kept out of the loop.

He didn't answer her so she sighed and got up.

"Screw you then, douchebag." She said before walking out of Scott's room angrily. Scott looked after his sister when she walked out and he felt bad but she didn't need to know about all this werewolf crap. She wouldn't believe it anyway.

_Stupid fucking brother. _That's what Scarlett thought as she made her way to her bathroom to brush her teeth.

She seemed to be doing everything in an angry manner, even putting her toothpaste on her toothbrush angrily.

_Who does he think he is, keeping secrets from me?_

Scott and Scarlett had a bond and you could say that it was just because they were twins but that was only part of it. They were each other's best friend if they weren't counting Lydia and Stiles.

Scarlett thought that her bond with her brother was stronger than that. Stronger than any stupid secret but apparently she was wrong.

When she finished brushing her teeth she spit and washed her face, trudging back into her room, reciting a string of curse words under breath. She was beyond pissed at Scott.

She had just finished putting on her pyjamas when she heard a loud noise. What was with those lately? She gulped and looked around for something that she could defend herself with if there was someone breaking into her house but the only thing she could find was one of her textbooks that was heavy as a brick.

Her steps were quiet and cautious as she crept, barefoot, through the hall and to the door of her brother's room where she heard him talking to someone. He sounded scared and she got seriously freaked out. She was about to turn the door knob but instead, the door flung open and she was startled at the sight of Derek.

"What the hell?!" She shouted, putting her hand over her heart as it started racing.

He gave her an odd look and she returned it.

"The hell were you gonna try and do with that?" He asked, walking past her and motioning to the textbook. She looked at the book and shrugged.

"I don't know. I freaked when I heard a noise and when you hear a noise you grab the first thing you find." She explained. He allowed himself to smirk when he turned around so that she couldn't see it.

Scarlett was still confused as to why he was in her house so she followed him down the stairs.

"Should I be worried that you're in my house? You didn't like hurt Scott did you because I actually wanted the pleasure of doing that myself." She said.

"We were just talking." Derek said emotionlessly.

"Really? Because he sounded like he was scared shitless."

"He was." And with that he walked out the front door, not looking back.

He was so strange yet so intriguing and mysterious to Scarlett and she liked it. She shrugged and closed the front door, wondering how he got in in the first place. She made sure it was locked before she jogged back upstairs and looked in Scott's room to see him talking to Stiles on his computer.

Deciding to just go to sleep she went straight to her room, turned off the light and jumped in to her warm, awaiting bed.

* * *

"So what, Derek Hale's a part of your exclusive little boy club now?" Scarlett asked Scott sarcastically when she caught up to him in the hallway.

"We don't have a club. I'm not even friends with Derek." Scott said, brushing it off as if Derek being at their house didn't mean anything.

"Well that's a lie. I mean, the guy was _in_ our house Scott and you're just gonna say that you aren't even friends with him?"

"Look Scar, I don't know what you're getting so pissed about." Scott said nonchalantly. Scarlett gave him an incredulous look. What the hell was wrong with him?

"I just thought we were closer than that." Her tone was low and Scott noticed how upset she sounded and once again, he felt bad about it. He tried to talk to her again but she was already walking away from him. He sighed and carried on going to class.

Scarlett stopped outside of her class when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She took it out and unlocked the phone before reading the text from her mom.

**Mom: Got the night off! Coming to see the game and watch you cheer! So excited!**

Scarlett smiled at the text and replied quickly.

**Yay, finally!**

She shoved her phone back into her pocket and opened the door to the classroom, walking in, taking her seat and preparing for what was sure to be a boring period of History.

Scarlett and Lydia walked side by side as Lydia ranted on about how the lacrosse team was going to win the game. Scarlett could hear her talking but she wasn't processing Lydia's words because her mind was focused on how she was going to get Scott to fess up about whatever he wasn't telling her.

She had a few theories about it but none of them seemed like they could be true. Like, maybe Scott had joined some sort of cult with Stiles and Derek. Or maybe he really had gotten into drugs or he was just spiralling into insanity.

She pondered the last one for a moment before shaking her head. Scott wasn't going insane. She wouldn't let that happen to him.

"Which is why you should tell Scott to stop being a pussy and play the game." Scarlett gave Lydia a strange look when she finally decided to listen to what her friend was saying.

"Scott's not playing?" She asked dumbfounded. She hadn't known that.

"Yeah. He's trying to get out of it which is really stupid considering he just made first line. How do you not know this when you _live_ with him?"

"I-I don't know…he's been pretty distant lately."

"Oh well. Talk some sense into him anyway." Lydia said with a confident smile.

Lydia walked off to Jackson and Scarlett was about to follow but she caught sight of Scott rushing outside.

That could be her chance to find out what the hell was going on so she changed her course of direction and instead hurried after her brother. She watched him get on his bike as she got to her car.

"What the hell are you up to Scotty…?" She mumbled to herself as she quickly got in the car and sped after her twin all while keeping a safe distance behind him so that he wouldn't notice her.

She was confused when he turned into the woods but she followed anyway. Luckily for Scarlett, he went down a path that cars could drive down.

There wasn't much around here so where was he going? The only place that was in this part of the woods was the old-

She stopped and cursed herself for being so stupid. Of course he was going to the Hale House. Or at least, what was left of it. After all, it _had_ been burned down. Scott was probably meeting up with Derek.

Scarlett parked the car a little ways away from the house, still watching Scott who threw his bike down and started shouting Derek's name angrily. She got out of the car and snuck up closer to the house. She hid behind one of the trees, not wanting to risk being seen.

Scott stood there, looking around for Derek who was nowhere to be seen. His head snapped towards the side of the house where there was a big pile of dirt that looked fresh.

When he looked back, Derek was standing there and Scott jumped slightly. Scarlett chose that time to look around the tree and watch her brother's interaction with the older male.

She silently complimented Derek's physique which she could see quite clearly considering his outfit. He was lean yet muscly and toned, not too buff or anything.

"Stay away from her!" Scott shouted. Then he added on, "and Scarlett!"

Scarlett made a face at that. Was he talking about her and…_Allison_?

"They don't know anything!" Scott yelled again. Damn right she didn't know anything and apparently it wasn't just her Scott was keeping secrets from. So, Allison was in the dark as well.

"Yeah?" Derek asked, jumping down from the porch and walking towards Scott. "And what if they do? What? You think your little buddy Stiles can just google werewolves and now you've got all the answers, is that it?"

He couldn't be serious…Were the three of them on crack? What the hell is with all the talk about werewolves? Scarlett wore a puzzled expression as she continued to watch the two of them. Maybe they were all part of an online gaming thing that was exclusively for nerdy folk who liked supernatural things.

"You don't get it yet Scott but I'm looking out for you. Think about what could happen…You're out on the field, the aggression takes over and you _shift_ in front of everyone."

Scarlett was beyond confused now. What the fuck was he talking about? What shift? Why would Scott have to worry about aggression and shifting? Why was Derek supposedly looking out for Scott? Absolutely none of it made sense to her.

She strained her hearing when Derek's voice got quieter as he picked up Scott's lacrosse stick that was in his bag on the ground.

"Think about it. Your mom, your sister, all your friends. They see you…" Scarlett's eyes widened and she had to slap a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from vocally freaking out at Derek making three huge claw marks in the netting of the lacrosse stick. "Everything…falls…apart."

_Oh God_. Oh shit. That's what ran through Scarlett's mind. That just happened. Holy crap…what if maybe…they _were _actually both…_werewolves_?

She didn't believe in that stuff. It wasn't real. It wasn't possible. Werewolves didn't exist. And her brother was certainly not one.

But there was no denying what she had just seen. Those were freaking _claw marks_ in the netting. Normal human nails or fingers did not make claw marks. But Derek's did.

What if Stiles was right?

The very thought chilled her to the bone.

Her breathing got even heavier when she watched Derek toss the lacrosse stick in the air and then disappear completely as if he used inhuman speed to get away.

Scarlett couldn't believe she was actually thinking this could be possible. She decided that if this was real and…werewolves really did exist and one of them was her brother then she wanted to know everything she could. Which meant she needed to start confronting people like Scott, Stiles _and _Derek.

She stayed behind the tree until Scott had left and then walked to her car only to see Derek leaning against it.

_Shit._

"Um, hi." She said trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Why were you listening to our conversation?"

"Well aren't you very to the point." Scarlett said, noticing Derek's 'no crap' attitude.

He continued to look at her with a questioning gaze and she started to squirm under it. Scarlett plastered on a fake and innocent smile.

"I was ju-"

"Don't lie to me." He cut her off. She swallowed hard, pushing away the chills she got from him demanding that she not lie.

"I was worried about Scott okay? Is that such a crime?"

"It is when you're supposed to be at school, you have no business being here and this is-" It was her turn to cut him off now.

"Private property. Yeah, I get it."

"Good." He said, starting to walk away. She pondered whether or not to say anything for a moment before she decided that it was now or never.

"Okay I just have one question." She called after him. He froze, having a pretty good idea about what she was gonna ask.

"The answer's yes." He said, turning to face her completely.

She gave him a puzzled look. "How do you even know what I was going to ask?"

He started towards her and she backed up ever so slightly making him smirk.

"You were gonna ask if I'm a werewolf." The way he said it so casually kind of scared her. "So the answer is yes."

She wasn't sure why she said it but she did and kind of wished she hadn't. "Prove it then."

He raised a brow at her expectantly and then all of a sudden his face morphed into something rather terrifying.

His eyes went from that gorgeous sea-green to an electric blue. Hair sprouted up at the sides of his face, looking like sideburns, his nose changed slightly and fangs grew from his canines. She then looked at his hands and instead of fingernails he had claws.

Scarlett's eyes widened and she felt her heart rate speed up incredibly and she was frozen in place.

She should've been more scared. Scratch that, she should have been fucking petrified but she wasn't. Something inside of her told her to stay calm. That Derek wasn't going to hurt her. She _hoped_ that he wasn't going to hurt her.

She felt herself nodding slightly. "I believe you."

Her voice was just above a whisper and it was laced with shock but she didn't sound frightened which surprised Derek. He thought that she'd be running for the hills by now but she wasn't, she just stood there staring at him in what looked like fascination.

He shifted back to normal and he heard her heartbeat slow down considerably.

"And Scott?" She asked. Derek simply nodded. "What about Stiles?" She felt the need to ask even though it was only Scott that had got bitten.

Derek scoffed. "No."

"Okay so what was all that bullshit a few minutes ago about how Allison and I aren't supposed to know about this?"

"I figured that Scott and Stiles would tell you as soon as you asked so why not save them the trouble. But, if you tell Allison…I will make you regret it." Derek said sternly. His voice held authority and Scarlett felt herself nodding.

"You should get back to school." With that he turned and walked off back towards the house leaving a still very confused Scarlett to drive herself back to school.

* * *

Scott and Stiles both jumped when Scarlett slammed the door closed.

"Alright shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down. I know that you two have been lying your little asses off and now I want the truth." She said using her 'no fucking around' voice.

The two boys looked visibly scared, knowing what a temper Scarlett possessed at times. They both stopped talking and immediately sat down.

"I'm just gonna start by saying that I now know that you're a freaking _werewolf_ Scott. Thanks for sharing that little piece of information by the way."

Scott's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" He asked, trying to cover it up.

"I followed you today. Heard you talking with Derek and then he, of all people, was the one to tell me that this shit was real and he too is a werewolf."

"I'm so sorry. I-I should've told you but I was scared and I didn't want you getting hurt." Scott said sadly.

"He…told me not to tell so, yeah." Stiles mumbled.

"I just need things cleared up." She said looking at both boys.

"Okay, so what? If you get angry you turn into a man-wolf thing?" Scarlett asked once Scott and Stiles had finished explaining everything to her.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Stiles said.

"That's why Derek was telling me not to play the game."

"I get the feeling you really don't like Derek. Any specific reason or…?" Scarlett asked, wondering why the hate was turned on him. Apart from the slight creepiness of showing up out the blue he seemed like an okay guy to her.

"Scar, he did this to me. He's the one that bit me and I'm pretty damn sure he also killed that girl."

"Whoa. Scott, that's a pretty big accusation. I mean turning you into a werewolf is one thing but chopping a girl in half is a completely different matter." Scarlett said, not wanting to believe that Derek was a killer.

"It was him. Today at his house I smelled blood. Lots of it and what looked like fresh dirt."

"Whose blood was it?" Stiles asked seeming almost too interested. He was probably hyped up on Adderall like usual.

"I don't know. But we're gonna find out and when we do, your dad is gonna nail Derek for the murder and you're gonna help me figure out how to play lacrosse without changing because there's no way I am not playing that game." Scott said, standing up.

"I really don't agree with you on the whole 'Derek's a murderer' thing Scott." Scarlett said warily.

"He _is_. And you should stay away from him." Scott said before walking out with Stiles on his heels.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Scarlett called after them. When there was no reply she huffed and cursed under her breath before running to catch up.

* * *

"Alright, I'll go in and find out if the body smells like what I smelled at Derek's. You two, wait here." Scott told them the plan which was very simple before walking off, leaving Scarlett and Stiles in the waiting area of the hospital.

Scarlett shrugged and walked over to the desk before noticing Lydia sitting there. She smiled and went to sit next to her.

Lydia acknowledged Scarlett with a smile before indicating that she had an earpiece in and was talking to someone. Scarlett nodded and picked up a random magazine, flipping through its pages while she waited.

After a few minutes she noticed that Stiles was talking to Lydia although from what Scarlett could tell, he didn't know she couldn't hear him.

"Maybe it would be kinda cool to um get to know each other a little better." Stiles said awkwardly. Scarlett watched in amusement and tried not to laugh, covering her mouth with the magazine.

"Uh, hold on, give me a second." Lydia said, taking out the earpiece. "Yeah, um I didn't get any of that. Was it worth repeating?"

"Uh no," Stiles stammered looking slightly upset. "Sorry." He walked away, leaving Lydia to turn to Scarlett and give her a strange look.

"Who was that?" She asked. Scarlett understood that Lydia didn't often acknowledge the existence of people that weren't as popular as her but she found it odd that she didn't even recognise Stiles.

"Really? You don't know him? That's Stiles. Scott's best friend…" Scarlett said trying to jog Lydia's memory but she just kept giving her a look as if she was talking in a different language. "We've went to school with him our whole lives. Seriously? Nothing?"

"Nope…oh wait just a second." Lydia put her earpiece back in and said her goodbye's to whoever was on the other side and then she took it out again.

"So, what're you doing here?" Scarlett asked, going back to her magazine.

"Oh Jackson was just getting his shoulder checked again to make sure that it's okay for him to play." Lydia explained.

"Right…how is it anyway? I heard Scott knocked into him pretty hard."

"Yeah that was a dick move on your brother's part but Jackson's strong. He's pretty much made a full recovery."

Scarlett was about to reply but she noticed Jackson walking towards them, rubbing his arm. Lydia smiled and got up to greet him while Scarlett stayed put.

"How's the shoulder Jackson?" Scarlett asked, attempting to sound interested. He seemed to only notice she was there when she spoke.

"Better. No thanks to your brother." He said coldly. Scarlett rolled her eyes and put down the magazine, going to sit with Stiles who was just around the corner.

"Hey." She greeted him, taking a seat. He nodded to her but his eyes were focused on Lydia and Jackson who had started to make out. Scarlett tried to find something else to look at and her eyes found the book Stiles was pretending to read which happened to be about the menstrual cycle.

She narrowed her eyes at it but shook her head, choosing not to question it for fear of Stiles' answer.

"Bye Scar." She heard Lydia say. Scarlett looked up and gave a small smile.

"Bye Lyds."

"Bye Scarlett." She was surprised that Jackson had said goodbye to her but she returned it anyway.

"How does that even work…?" Stiles asked, turning to Scarlett.

"What? Lydia and I's friendship? Simple. We've been best friends since we were five. You can't break a bond like that." Scarlett explained.

Stiles nodded looking thoughtful, still holding the book in his hands. He jumped when Scott appeared, yanking it out of his hands.

"What'd you find?" Scarlett asked her brother.

"The scent was the same."

"Are you sure?" Stiles asked, jumping up. Scarlett followed, hating the facts. She really wished that Scott had been wrong and Derek wasn't a murderer.

"Yes." Scott replied.

Stiles nodded and looked around. "So he did bury the other half of the body on his property."

"Yes, which means we can prove he killed the girl."

"You know…he could just be getting framed." Scarlett suggested. Both boys gave her incredulous looks and she held her hands up in mock-defence. "Just saying."

Stiles shook his head and turned back to Scott. "I think we should use it."

"How? Scott queried as Stiles started walking. Scarlett turned and followed them both, wanting to hear what Stiles had to say, despite the fact she didn't really want to be involved in getting Derek in a hell of a lot of trouble.

"Tell me something first," Stiles said, turning to face the twins but talking to Scott directly. "Are you doing this because you wanna stop Derek or because you wanna play in the game and he said you couldn't?"

That was a good question…what _were_ Scott's reasons for wanting to get Derek locked up? Sure, he changed him into a werewolf but to Scarlett it seemed that Scott was going to need Derek's help with this whole thing. And besides, she was convinced that Derek was no killer.

"There were bite marks on the legs, Stiles. Bite marks." Scott said, not really answering the question.

"Okay." Stiles said, seeming satisfied with his answer. "Then we're gonna need a shovel."

Scarlett's eyes widened. "You're not actually gonna…_dig_ up the other half of the body are you?"

Stiles gave her a knowing smile. "That's exactly what we're gonna do."

She felt a bit sick at the thought but tried to suck it up because she knew that she was going to get dragged along.

* * *

They waited until Derek was driving away before Stiles drove up to the crumbling house. The three teens jumped out of the jeep, each of them equipped with a shovel and walked towards the big patch of dirt that was a different colour from the surrounding ground.

"Wait, something's different." Scott said, pausing for a minute.

"Different how?" Stiles asked.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know...let's just get this over with." They continued to the dirt and the two boys wasted no time in starting to shovel it up.

Scarlett watched them, clutching her shovel tightly. "Guys, I don't know how I feel about this."

"Scar look, this guy is a killer and he's gonna do it again if we don't prove it. So really, by helping us, you could potentially be saving someone's life." Stiles said, sounding very convincing.

Scarlett sighed. "Okay fine. I'll help." She walked towards the boys and started digging. She hated this and she still didn't think Derek was the killer but Stiles had a good point anyway. _Someone_ killed this girl. Maybe not Derek but there was still a killer out there and they could help get him locked up which made her feel slightly better.

Between the three of them, they had dug up quite a lot after a while and Scarlett guessed that it couldn't be much further down.

Scott stopped and straightened up, wiping his forehead and looking around.

"This is taking way too long." He said, sounding paranoid.

"Just keep going." Stiles told him.

"What if he comes back?" Scott asked. He was on the verge of sounding frantic which made Scarlett start to worry as well.

"Then we get the hell out of here." Stiles said plainly.

"Well what do we do if he catches us? I may not think he's the killer but I'm not too fond of the idea of getting on his bad side for digging up his property." Scarlett hissed.

"I have a plan for that."

"Which is?" Scott questioned as he continued to dig.

"Scarlett distracts him with her femininity while you and I make a run for it."

Scarlett and Scott both stopped digging and glared at Stiles before saying "I hate that plan!" At the exact same time.

Stiles shrugged and then told them both to stop digging when his shovel hit something.

"What is it?" Scarlett asked. Stiles answered by crouching down and searching through the dirt with his hands. The twins looked at each other before shrugging and helping Stiles.

After a few moments they found bits of rope and started pulling at the knots that were tied in them.

"Hurry." Scott said as he watched Stiles pull at the rope.

"Yeah I'm trying. What? Did he have to tie the thing like nine-hundred times?"

"Here, let me." Scarlett said, moving slightly so she could untie the knots. When they were untied, they started moving the material and they all started screaming when they saw the head of a black wolf staring up at them lifelessly.

"What the hell?!" Scarlett shouted, clutching her chest. "Is that a wolf?"

"Yeah, it is." Scott answered.

"I thought you said you smelled blood as in _human_ blood." Stiles said, sounding as confused as he looked.

The three of them were slightly panting and Scott shook his head a bit, shrugging. "I told you something was different."

"Yeah, like different fucking species _different_." Scarlett said, wondering how Scott wasn't able to tell the difference in smell between a human and an animal.

"This doesn't make any sense…"

"Yeah, let's just get out of here." Scott mumbled.

"So Derek is in fact _not_ a murderer." Scarlett sounded slightly triumphant and she was relieved that Derek was innocent.

"We don't know that yet. He probably just moved the body." Stiles said before telling the twins to help him cover up the wolf head again. They began to do so but stopped when they noticed Stiles staring intently at something.

"Stiles…?" Scarlett asked wearily.

"Do you see that flower?"

"Yeah." She answered, noticing the random purple flower.

"What about it?" Scott queried, just as confused as his sister.

"I think it's wolfsbane." Stiles answered without looking at either of them.

"What's that?"

Stiles looked shocked when he looked at Scott. "Haven't you ever seen _The Wolf Man_?"

"No." Scott shook his head and so did Scarlett. She was never really into all that stuff.

"Lon Chaney Jr? Claude Rains? The original classic werewolf movie..."

"No, why?" Scott asked, getting frustrated.

"You're so unprepared for this." Stiles muttered, shaking his head at Scott who gave his sister a 'what the hell' look. She shrugged in return.

"We should probably watch those movies at some point Scotty. I mean, I'm sure most of it's bullshit but it had to come from somewhere right?" Scarlett suggested with a curious tone.

Scott nodded and then they both watched Stiles pick up the flower that strangely had rope attached to it. He walked in circles, picking up the rope from the ground until eventually something happened making Scarlett and Scott's eyes widen.

It didn't make sense at all but what was previously the head of a wolf was now the upper half of a dead girl's body.

The sight was fairly disgusting to Scarlett and she thought that she would be sick but at the same time she couldn't look away. It seemed as though she was _intrigued_ by the body. And that scared her.

"Stiles." Scott said, not looking away from the body.

"Whoa." Stiles said, getting a shock at seeing the dead girl. She was covered in dirt, her hair was matted and her eyes were still wide open. Scarlett thought that she looked scared. That that was the last emotion the girl felt before she died. She didn't know why but that saddened Scarlett somehow.

The shock of seeing the girl passed in a few minutes but then a wave of frustration hit her. Scott and Stiles now had evidence that Derek was the supposed murderer and they would surely get him put in jail but Scarlett was _so_ _sure_ that he was innocent. She didn't know how to prove it though.

* * *

Scarlett watched the police escort Derek from the Hale House in cuffs. She was standing beside Stiles' jeep with Scott and she felt anger bubbling inside her. Then Derek looked at her and she felt guilty as well.

"This isn't right Scott." She said, shaking her head.

"Yes, it is. Why can't you see that?" He countered. Scott looked at his twin but her eyes were focused on Derek who was being put in the police cruiser. Scarlett's attention then turned to Stiles who was walking towards the cruiser. She saw an opportunity and she took it, running over to Stiles and getting the driver's seat whilst he got in the passenger's. Before she got in she vaguely heard Scott calling her name but she ignored him completely.

"Why are you in here?" Stiles asked Scarlett.

"Because I wanna hear what more you have to say about this whole thing. And I would also just like to point out the fact that I disagree with you completely." Scarlett snapped back, hoping that Derek caught that she was on his side.

"Whatever." Stiles sighed before turning around to face Derek who looked miserable yet deadly. Scarlett did the same and although he was in cuffs, she still admired his beauty.

"Alright, just so you know, I'm not afraid of you." When Stiles said that, Derek looked up and fixed him with a glare which was pretty scary. "Okay, maybe I am. Doesn't matter. I just wanna know something. The girl you killed, she was a werewolf. She was a different kind, wasn't she?"

Scarlett's eyes widened. How did he know that? Had Stiles discussed that with Scott already and left her out of the loop yet again? She listened intently while staring at Derek and as if he could feel her gaze, he looked straight at her and she could've sworn that his eyes softened a small amount before they turned cold again upon looking at Stiles.

"I mean, she could turn herself into an actual wolf and I know Scott can't do that…is that why you killed her?"

"Stiles." Scarlett hissed. She felt bad enough already that she was a part of the fact Derek was in this car right now but having to hear Stiles interrogate him made her feel even worse.

"Shh." Stiles said.

"Do not 'shh' me ever again Stiles or I swear to God I'll kick your ass." Scarlett said with a cold voice. She saw Stiles tense and she knew she had succeeded in scaring him. After all, she'd done it before when he pissed her off a bit too much.

Derek looked at her again, surprised at her feistiness but also intrigued by it. It seemed that there was more to her than just a pretty face.

"Why are you so worried about me when it's your friend who's the problem hm?" Derek asked. "When he shifts on the field, what do you think they're gonna do huh? Just keep cheering him on? I can't stop him from playing butyou two can." Derek then leaned forward and Stiles leaned backwards. "And trust me, you'll want to."

That's when Sherriff Stilinski opened the door and yanked Stiles out. Scarlett gave Derek a sympathetic look before she rushed out of the car and ducked, hoping that the Sherriff would miss the fact that she had been in there as well while he was arguing with Stiles.

When she realised that he hadn't noticed her, she made a run for it back to Scott.

* * *

"I can't find anything about wolfsbane being used in burials." Scott said as he scrolled through his phone. Scarlett sat in the back seat of Stiles' jeep, mulling over possible ways that she could speak to Derek and prove his innocence.

"Just keep looking. Maybe it's a ritual or something. Maybe they burry you as a wolf. Or maybe it's a special skill, you know, like something you have to learn…" Stiles suggested.

"I'll put it on my to-do list underneath figure out how the hell I'm gonna play this game tonight."

"Maybe it's different for girl werewolves!" Stiles said randomly making Scott snap.

"Okay! Stop it!" Scarlett snapped out of her thoughts and flinched at her brother's harsh tone.

"Stop what?"

"Stop saying werewolves! Stop enjoying this so much!"

"Hey, Scotty. You okay?" Scarlett asked, leaning forward and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No!" He shouted, roughly shrugging off her hand. She sat back and glared at him mumbling curse words under her breath. "No, I'm not! I'm so _far_ from being okay."

Scott wasn't looking too great. In fact, he looked like he was in some sort of pain and Scarlett began to worry.

"Okay, you're gonna have to accept this Scott. Sooner or later." Stiles said, reasoning with him.

"I can't." Scott's voice sounded strained.

"Well, you're gonna have to!"

"No, I can't breathe!" Scarlett's eyes widened and she didn't know what to do as Scott started thrashing around.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Stiles said as he swerved the car,

"Pull over." Scott said.

"Wh-why? What's happening?" Stiles asked frantically.

"Stiles, just pull over!" Scarlett shouted from behind him. He didn't listen and kept driving as Scott started looking through Stiles' bag, noticing the wolfsbane.

"You kept it?!" He asked with wide eyes.

"What was I supposed to do with it?"

"Stop the car!" Scott roared, his eyes turning a golden-yellow colour.

Stiles took one look at Scott and freaked, bringing his jeep to a screeching halt. Stiles grabbed the bag and ran out of the car while Scott kept groaning as if he was in serious pain.

"Scott… Scott just breathe." Scarlett said trying to be as soothing as possible when in reality, she was freaking out.

Scott ignored her and jumped out of the car also.

"What the hell Scott! Scott!" She called but he had run off and she huffed. "Stiles!"

"What? We're good-" He stopped when he saw that Scott was missing from the passenger's seat. He jumped back into the jeep and Scarlett climbed into the front. "Where the hell did he go?"

"I don't know he just ran off!" She told him. Stiles started the car and took off like a mad man, shoving his phone into Scarlett's hands.

"Find the dispatch number on there and call it."

"Why am I not just calling 911?" She asked, doing what she was told anyway.

"Because we don't need 911. We're just gonna see if they've heard anything." Scarlett shrugged and put the phone on speaker as it started ringing.

"_Hello_?" A female voice answered, sounding confused.

"Hey, it's Stiles."

"_Stiles, you know you can't call the dispatch when I'm on duty_." She said with a sigh.

"I just need to know if you've gotten any strange calls."

"_Strange, how_?"

"Strange as in, a person or…dog-like individual roaming the streets." Scarlett gave him an 'are you serious' look but he didn't see it.

"_I'm hanging up on you now_-"

"No! Wait, wait wai-"

"_Goodbye_." The woman said before hanging up. Stiles made a frustrated noise and hit the steering wheel.

"Hey, we'll find him." Scarlett reassured him, hoping that what she said was true.

* * *

The police station was quiet when Scarlett arrived, dressed in her cheerleading uniform. She knew she was taking a big risk coming here…Derek might not even speak to her but it was worth a shot. After all, she was trying to help him.

She took a deep breath and walked towards the front desk where, Thank god, an officer she knew was filing through paperwork.

"Hi, Tara." She said sweetly, gaining the police woman's attention.

"Scarlett! It's been ages since I last saw you. What brings you here?" She asked nicely while giving Scarlett's outfit a strange look.

"I was actually hoping you could maybe do me a favour…"

"Which is?" Tara asked with curiosity.

"Um, well, Derek Hale was brought in here today and I really need to speak with him."

"Derek Hale? The guy accused of murder?"

"He's not a murderer." Scarlett snapped immediately causing Tara's eyes to widen.

"Mhm, and why do you need to speak with him?"

"He's…my- he's my boyfriend." She rushed out, having to make something up on the spot. "I'm just so heartbroken that he's been put in here and he's being accused of something that he didn't do and…I-I need to talk to him once more."

Scarlett was putting on the most convincing performance possible, even turning on the tears a bit, hoping that Tara would buy it and let her see Derek.

"Isn't he a little old for you…?"

"Not at all. And besides, age doesn't matter when you're in love." Scarlett was really dramatizing it but hey, she needed to get in there.

"I'm really not supposed to do this but since I consider myself a sucker for love, I'll let you speak to him but you can only have so long." Tara said with a small smile while she got her keys out.

"Oh thank you so much Tara! I owe you big time." Scarlett said with a cheesy smile. Tara started walking towards the back of the station where the cells were and she gained a few looks but she ignored them.

There was absolutely no one back there except for the two of them and the very few people in the cells, one of them being Derek.

Tara walked to his cell and unlocked it before turning to Scarlett.

"You have a little over five minutes Scar…then I have to come get you." She said before opening the cell door and allowing Scarlett to walk in.

"Got it, thanks." She said as Tara left. Derek looked up at her slowly, taking notice of her cheer uniform before raising an eyebrow at her. "So um…you're obviously wondering why I'm here. And basically…okay, I'm just gonna get straight to it. Did you kill that girl?"

He gave her a glare but his eyes weren't as cold as they had been when they he was talking to Stiles. She took that as a good sign.

"Do you think I did?" He asked her, standing up.

"No. I don't. That's kinda why I'm here. I believe that you're innocent and I feel guilty as hell that I was a part of you getting arrested." Scarlett looked down at her shoes, feeling slightly awkward.

"I didn't kill her. But, believe it or not I actually need Scott's help to find out who did." He said solemnly.

"What? Why?" Scarlett asked, inching forward.

"Because somebody _did_ kill her. Somebody that knew she was a werewolf which means that that person is a threat to all of my kind and Scott happens to be a werewolf as well. Not a very good one, but the only one around so I need his help."

"Okay…so what can I do?"

"Not much. But you can talk Scott into helping me, first by getting me the hell out of here. He'll listen to you." Derek said, fixing his intense stare upon her. He could tell she was nervous, he didn't need to hear her heartbeat to tell that much. He found it kind of cute, in a way.

"I'll try but I don't know…he pretty much hates you. I mean, you did bite him and turn him into a werewolf which has now led him to freaking out over the game tonight which, by the way he's hell bent on playing."

"Scott's gonna realise soon enough that he needs me _and_ that the bite is a gift. As for the game, you need to talk him out of that." Scarlett bit her lip and thought about how exactly she was gonna do that. Derek watched her and he realised that for some very strange reason, Scarlett biting her lip like that drove him insane.

His eyes snapped behind Scarlett when he heard the female officer coming down the hall.

"What excuse did you use to get in here?" He asked her.

Scarlett blushed and he decided he liked that look on her.

"I kinda of said that you were my um…boyfriend. And that we are madly in love." She said with a small laugh.

"Better make it believable then." He muttered, not giving her time to question it before he took a step towards her so that they're was practically no space between them and grabbed the back of her neck, smashing his lips to hers.

Scarlett's eyes widened but then she immediately closed them, relaxing into the kiss, not caring why he did it, just knowing that she really liked the feeling of his lips on hers and noticing how natural it felt.

She had to stand on her toes so that she could reach him but she didn't mind. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him from the close proximity. His hands moved from her neck down to her waist and he gripped it tightly as hers own hands tangled into his short black hair.

The kiss was over all too soon when she heard a cough at the entrance to the cell. Breathless and slightly disorientated she turned to face Tara who looked awkward after just witnessing that. It looked so passionate that it was easy to believe the two of them were in love.

"Time's up." She said.

"Right…" Scarlett drawled, turning to face Derek again. She really needed to sell this. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now…but when they realise that you're innocent and they let you out I'll be waiting for you. I love you." Her voice was soft and sweet and innocent and she played the part very well.

Derek looked amused and was impressed with her acting skills. She even went as far as making a tear fall down her cheek. Derek then realised that he needed to say something back so he pulled her close and hugged her much smaller frame.

"I'll see you soon baby." He said just loud enough so that Tara would hear it. Scarlett went to pull away but he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Nice outfit by the way."

Scarlett blushed wildly as she suddenly remembered what her cheer uniform looked like. It consisted of a fairly short and tight deep red skirt and a sleeveless shirt that went down to just above her belly button and had the letters _BHHS_ across it in black.

Derek let her go completely and still blushing, she walked to the entrance of the cell where Tara was and walked out. Derek cursed himself for it but he couldn't help letting his eyes drift to Scarlett's cute little ass that was accentuated by the tight skirt.

Tara closed over the cell door and locked it again while Derek glared at her. It wasn't her fault that he was in there but he was still pissed. The only thing that made it better was that he felt he could trust Scarlett to convince Scott to prove that he was innocent. But, for now he had to wait and while waiting he decided to think about Scarlett because honestly, she's all he _could_ think about.

* * *

"_Goooo Beacon Hills_!" Scarlett landed in the splits at the end of the routine and the crowd supporting the school's team went wild. She found her mom in the crowd and flashed her a dazzling smile which Melissa returned.

Getting up, Scarlett waved her red and black pompoms as she cheered for the Beacon Hills team that were currently running onto the field.

The game started and Scarlett wasn't too sure who had the ball but then she saw Scott running for it alongside Jackson who then pushed Scott out of the way, knocking him over completely. Scarlett was pissed and she wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of Jackson but she couldn't so she did the only thing she could do which was cheer for her team and also Scott as an individual. She only hoped that what Jackson did wouldn't piss off Scott too much causing him to shift because then it would be complete chaos.

Scott stopped, hunched over and Scarlett could only take that as a bad sign. Up in the stands she saw Allison and Lydia holding a poster that read '_We Luv U Jackson!'_ She made a face at it and instantly felt bad for Scott. He did say that he was playing to get Allison but then seeing her supporting the guy he hated…that must be really shitty. Her gaze went to Stiles who looked nervous as hell.

Something seemed to snap in Scott and all of a sudden he was playing like a freaking pro, dodging every other player and then scoring.

"Yes! Go Scotty!" Scarlett shouted in support of her brother, waving her pompoms madly while everyone else started doing the same and cheering even louder. He scored again, causing the ball to go straight through the net of one of the other team member's sticks.

The crowd roared wildly, impressed with Scott's new found lacrosse skills. It was decided amongst the squad that some of the girls should stand on the male cheerleader's shoulders, Scarlett being one of them. She was all for it and one of the boys helped her jump up so that she was standing on his shoulders, smiling and cheering.

Scarlett's eyes caught Melissa's again and her mother gave her a questioning look with a smile still on her face. She shrugged back, implying that she too knew nothing of where Scott's skills suddenly came from although she actually did.

"YES!" Scarlett shouted as soon as the ball landed in the net and the buzzer sounded. Beacon Hills had one more point than the other school which meant that Scott had just won them the game.

The crowds were all jumping and the squad ran back out onto the field, doing numerous flips. After that, Scarlett ran to Stiles and they looked at each other with shocked expressions before hugging victoriously.

"Did he shift?" She asked when they parted.

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter, we won!" Stiles shrugged. Scarlett smiled, supposing that that was true.

"Scar!" She turned when she heard her mom calling her.

"Hey mom!" Scarlett hugged Melissa.

"Can you believe it? Scott actually won the game!" Melissa's smile never faltered and seeing her mom so happy made Scarlett happy.

"Yeah, for a while there I thought he wasn't going even going to get the ball."

"I had complete faith in him the whole time." Melissa said with a sly smile. That obviously wasn't the truth but Scarlett laughed anyway.

"Well, I'm gonna go find Scott with Stiles so I'll see you at home?" Scarlett asked, making her way to Stiles who was waiting on her.

"Yeah. Don't be out too late though." Melissa called before walking away.

"I won't be!"

"Are you sure he's in here Stiles? I don't hear anything." Scarlett said when they walked into the boys' locker room.

"Yeah, where else would he be?"

They walked and then stopped when they got to the showers. Scott and Allison were in there kissing so Scarlett and Stiles walked backwards awkwardly, giving each other weird looks.

"God." Stiles murmured.

"Shut up." Scarlett shoved him. She was happy for Scott. Pissed that he played the game even though they all told him not to but happy that he won it and he got the girl.

Eventually Allison pulled away and walked towards them. She smiled and waved.

"Hi Scarlett. Stiles." She said. Scarlett waved back and then waited until she was out of the locker room to walk to Scott who was wearing a goofy grin.

"I kissed her." He said bashfully.

"We saw." Stiles said whilst nodding.

"She kissed me."

"We saw that too. Good job, by the way." Scarlett complimented. He smiled at her.

"I-I don't know how…but I controlled it. I pulled it back." Scott said, obviously referring to the shift. "Maybe I can do this. Maybe it's not that bad."

"Yeah," Stiles breathed out. "Well talk to you later then." He tried walking away but Scott and Scarlett both pulled him back.

"What?" Scott asked.

"The uh, medical examiner looked at the body we found."

"And…?" Scarlett prompted.

"Well, to keep it simple; medical examiner determines killer of girl to be animal, not human…Derek's human, not animal. Derek, not killer. Derek, let out of jail."

"They let him out?" Scarlett asked, trying to contain her happiness.

"Are you kidding?" Scott asked, giving his twin a weird look.

"No and here's a bigger kick in the ass…my dad I.D.'d the dead girl. Both halves…her name was Laura Hale."

"_Hale_?" The twins asked at the same time.

"Derek's sister…" Stiles nodded.


	3. Chapter 3: Must've Lost Your Wits

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: This one's a little short _but_ there is in fact some Scarlett/Derek time and those times are always my favourite times to write about so I hope you like it:)**

* * *

"Why am I getting the feeling that you don't like being around me when I'm with Jackson?" Lydia asked Scarlett as they walked the halls of the school with Allison.

"What? That's not true at all." Scarlett protested.

"You are a terrible liar Scarlett McCall." Lydia said, giving her friend a look.

"It's not that I don't like being around you guys it's just I feel like I'm intruding." Scarlett admitted. That was part of the reason at least. Honestly, she felt uncomfortable around them because they were always all over each other. Of course, she used to do the exact same thing and looking back, she felt really bad for Lydia that she had to go through that. Not to mention that Jackson was a creep.

"Well, you aren't. Besides, Allison's apart of this group now."

"Yeah, we can intrude together." Allison said with a smile. Scarlett smiled back but then her smile faded a bit.

"But Allison, you're dating my brother now which means that I will not only be intruding on one couple but two."

"You won't be intruding at all. I'm perfectly fine with you being around when I'm with Scott. He is your brother after all."

"Which makes it more awkward. No offense Al but I'd rather not see the two of you playing tonsil tennis with each other." Scarlett shuddered at the very thought. Allison laughed and Lydia smirked.

"Nobody wants to see that." Lydia added in.

"There's always Stiles…" Allison said and Scarlett glared at her.

"Ew. I see Stiles as another brother. Oh, how could you even suggest such a thing?" Scarlett asked, horrified by the idea of her and Stiles. Sure, she thought Stiles was cute and all, she had even had a tiny crush on him once upon a time, but now if they were to get together it would feel like incest.

Allison laughed again and she was too distracted too notice Scott backing up towards her before it was too late and she had crashed into him, dropping all her stuff.

"Well, aren't you two just the cutest and clumsiest couple ever?" Scarlett asked with a smile as the two of them crouched down to pick up Allison's stuff. Scott sent his sister a glare but the smile remained on her face.

"Yeah…I'm gonna go find Jackson." Lydia announced. "I'll see you two later."

Allison and Scarlett both said goodbye to her before everything got quiet as the principal's voice sounded over the speaker.

"_Attention students, this is your principal. I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses but while police work to determine what happened, classes will proceed as scheduled. Thank you." _

A loud groan of disappointment erupted from the sea of students. Scarlett was confused so she looked to Scott for answers.

"What incident?"

"You didn't see it?" He asked.

"Well obviously not."

"Um, someone…was attacked on one of the buses. I-it's a real mess." He said, sounding slightly worried. Scarlett guessed that he knew more than he was letting on so she decided she'd ask him about it later.

Chemistry. Scarlett generally liked the subject but she dreaded the class due to the fact that their teacher was a total asshole.

"You wanna tell me about this whole bus thing now?" Scarlett turned her attention to Scott who was sitting across from her.

"I-I had a dream last night."

"Uh-huh…"

"And in that dream I was with Allison-"

"Wait, if this was a sex dream then I really don't want to know about it." Scarlett cut him off, wanting to save herself the trauma of having to listen to that if it was.

"No, it wasn't. Let me finish." Scott said and Scarlett remained quiet. "We were on one of the buses and all of a sudden I shifted and attacked her…"

"Actually he killed her." Stiles said from behind them.

"It all felt so real. I think- I think maybe it did happen." Scott said with a pained look on his face.

"But Allison's fine so obviously you didn't attack her."

"Maybe it wasn't her but it could've been something else." Stiles suggested.

"Maybe it was my blood on the door." Scott said, sounding hopeful.

"It could've been animal blood." Scarlett said while she wrote down the notes from the board.

"Yeah, maybe you caught a rabbit or something?"

"And did what?" Scott questioned in a whisper.

"Ate it." Scarlett and Stiles said at the same time, smirking at each other. Usually, it was only Scott and Scarlett that could do that. She was spending way too much time with them both.

"Raw?" Scott sounded horrified.

"No. You stopped to bake it in your little werewolf oven. I don't know, you're the one who can't remember anything." Scarlett smirked at Stiles' sarcasm.

"Mr Stilinski, if that's your idea of a hushed whisper then you should probably take the headphones out once in a while. And I think you and the McCall twins would benefit from a little distance, yes?"

"No…" Stiles tried to protest but Mr Harris motioned for both boys to separate, leaving Scarlett by herself.

"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much." Scarlett scoffed under her breath. _Such_ an_ asshole._

Everyone resumed writing down their notes until a girl got up shouting, "Hey! I think they found something!" All of the students, including Scarlett ran to the window to see someone on a gurney being taken to an ambulance

"That's not a rabbit." She heard Scott say. They all jumped when the man sat up and started screaming.

Scarlett walked back towards where Scott and Stiles were standing.

"This is good, he got up. He's not dead." Stiles said trying to reassure Scott although that didn't take away from what was staring them in the face…

"_I_ did that." Scott said.

"Hey guys." Scarlett said, joining her brother and Stiles along with the rest of the bigger group of people that she was friends with.

She took a seat next to Stiles and gave him a smile. Both of them looked completely confused about what was happening.

"So, I heard they're saying that some kind of animal attacked him." Danny announced to the group. "Maybe a cougar?"

"I heard mountain lion." Jackson said.

"A cougar is a mountain lion." Lydia said, clearly pissed that Jackson didn't know such a thing although she covered it up quickly by playing dumb. "Isn't it?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She hated the fact that Lydia had to act so stupid all the time for Jackson's benefit. She was probably the smartest girl in school and him; well he was an idiot for the most part.

"Who cares? The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway."

"Nice to know you have a heart." Scarlett said, giving Jackson a pointed look. He gave her a glare in return.

"Actually I just found out who it is." Stiles said, speaking up for the first time. He held out his phone, "check it out."

They all leaned in to get a better look at the video which showed the outside of the school and the bus where the incident took place. It was completely wrecked. There was blood everywhere and the door at the back was hanging off.

"_The Sheriff's Department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirm the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyer's was taken to the local hospital where he remains in critical condition." _

"Hey Scotty, does he look familiar to you?" Scarlett asked her brother when the video finished.

"Yeah, we know him."

"You do?" Allison question, the surprise evident on her face.

"When we used to take the bus when we lived with dad, he was the driver." Scott answered, jogging Scarlett's memory.

"That's right! God, what a shame." Scarlett said.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun please?" Lydia asked with a bored tone. "Like…oh, where we're going tomorrow night."

Scarlett looked up in surprise. They were going somewhere tomorrow? How did she not know about this?

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, Allison said that she and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night…" Oh, so it was a date night. She was definitely not joining in on that.

"Oh uh, we were thinking of what we were gonna do." Allison said, unsure of what was happening.

"Well I am _not_ sitting home again watching lacrosse videos so if the four of us are hanging out…we are doing something fun. Of course, you're welcome to come along Scar." Lydia said sweetly.

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm perfectly fine with staying at home watching movies." She said with a smirk.

"If you change your mind just let me know."

"Will do." Scarlett nodded.

"Hang out? Do you even wanna hang out with them?" Scott asked Allison quietly.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun…" She replied.

"You know what else sounds fun?" Jackson asked, picking up a metal fork. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork."

Scarlett may not like him but she couldn't help but laugh a little at that. Too bad for her, Jackson noticed and smirked making her smile drop completely.

"Oh! How about bowling? You love to bowl." Lydia suggested, talking to Jackson now. The whole conversation was kind of awkward. Especially for Stiles and Scarlett who just looked at each other before shrugging. They obviously did not want to be listening to the plans of the couples. It just reminded Scarlett of how completely single she was… it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she liked the idea of being free to do as she pleased but at the same time she hated being left out. At least if she had a boyfriend she wouldn't feel so alone all the time. For reasons she could not fathom, an image of Derek popped into her head and she wondered what it would be like if he was her boyfriend before she quickly dismissed the thought. That was just never going to happen. Like, _ever._

Scarlett watched the couple standing together with admiration and slight envy. They looked so in love and she was no sap but she could honestly admit that she wouldn't mind a relationship like that. It just seemed that lately, she was always the one left out. Everyone else was in a relationship, even _Scott_ had Allison. And that was saying something because Scott never had luck with girls.

"Hey guys, what can I get you?" She asked the pair with a smile. The girl went to answer but the guy stopped her.

"Wait, I got this. A chai tea latte for my girl and a plain black coffee for me." Scarlett fought the smile that threatened to appear on her face at the cuteness.

"Anything else?"

"Uh yeah, what's today's pie?" The guy asked.

"Cherry." Scarlett answered with a smile.

"Ooh, my favourite." The girl said.

"Got it." Scarlett wrote down the pie. "I take it you guys are sitting in?" They both nodded and the girl went to go grab a table. Scarlett felt nostalgic for a moment. She and Jackson used to come here all the time and although he would never order for her, they always shared a slice of cherry pie. It was kind of silly but it was just their thing. She didn't miss being with Jackson, she just missed the relationship. It had been sweet when they were alone but he was a total dick around his friends. The only friend of Jackson's that she actually liked was Danny. And she was still friends with him. Like Mary, Danny was someone that everyone loved. He was a big sweetheart and of course, he was gay. If he wasn't then Scarlett would have been with him a _long_ time ago.

"I know that look missy, what's eating at ya?" Mary asked when Scarlett went about making the drinks.

"I kind of miss not being single…watching that couple makes me sad but at the same time it makes me happy. I mean, what_ is_ that?" She asked feeling so confused.

"It's called being human, sugar. Used to happen to me all the time before I found Tucker."

"Yeah, how's he doing by the way? Haven't seen him around for a while." Scarlett asked as she took out the cherry pie.

"He's great. He's actually working as a mechanic now." Mary said with a smile.

"Oh that's good. Isn't that what he always wanted to be?"

"Yup, man loves his cars." Scarlett laughed and put the pie and coffees on a tray, taking it over to the guy.

"Here you go." She smiled at him.

"Thanks." He nodded to her and took the tray away to the girl while Scarlett went back to take more orders.

"Is there a reason that we're here this early in the morning? I mean, could it not have waited until later?" Scarlett asked as she yawned.

"No. I need to speak to Derek now and you had the car." Scarlett pouted but kept walking beside Scott up to the old Hale House which had an eerie feeling to it at this hour of the morning. Somehow, it seemed creepier than it did at night.

Scott stopped a little bit from the house and started talking.

"I know you can hear me." He said. Right, wolfy super-hearing. "I need your help."

It started raining and Scarlett made a dash for the house, not wanting to get soaked. Scott followed behind her and they waited at the door until Derek opened it and stepped out. Upon seeing him, Scarlett was immediately hit with the memory of him kissing her. The way his lips felt, how tightly he held her waist, the feeling of his hair as she ran her fingers through it…

She forced herself to snap out of those thoughts and hoped that he didn't catch the insane blush that had spread across her cheeks. But, of course, he did. He always caught it.

"Okay, I-I know I was part of you getting arrested…we both were and that we practically announced you being here to the hunters." Hunters? What hunters? Scott never said anything about freaking hunters. "I also don't know what happened to your sister but I think I did something last night. I-I had a dream about someone…but someone _else_ got hurt. And it turns out that part of the dream might have actually happened."

Derek's eyes flickered to Scarlett before flickering back to Scott. "You think you attacked the driver?"

"Did you _see_ what I did last night?" Scott asked, his voice raised.

"No." Derek replied simply.

"Can you at least tell me the truth? Am I gonna hurt someone?" Once again Derek's eyes flickered over to Scarlett but for once, she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at her feet pondering what Scott said.

"Yes."

"Could I kill someone?"

"Yes." Scarlett's wide eyes snapped back up to Scott and then to Derek and then back to Scott.

"_Am_ I gonna kill someone?"

"Probably."

"Oh…freaking fantastic." Scarlett mumbled. Now she knew for sure that Scott was a danger  
to everyone and that worried her because before all this she couldn't imagine him hurting a fly, much less _killing_ someone.

"Look, I can show you how to remember." Derek said, walking over to Scott who had decided to lean on one of the beams holding the porch up. "I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon." Having Derek around seemed like a pretty damn good thing to Scarlett, not to mention she didn't mind getting to gawk at him all the time.

"It's not gonna come for free."

"What do you want?" Scott's voice was strained and Scarlett really felt for her twin. He just seemed so confused but then again, Derek was there offering his help and she thought that Scott would be an idiot not to take it.

"You'll find out."

"How very cryptic…" Scarlett said under her breath. She thought that he wouldn't hear it but then she remembered the damn wolfy super-hearing and smiled innocently at Derek when he gave her a look.

"But for now, I'm gonna give you what you want. Go back to the bus, go inside. See it, feel it…let your senses; your sight, smell, touch. Let them remember for you."

"That's it? Ju-just go back?"

"Do you wanna know what happened?"

"I just wanna know if I hurt him."

"No you don't." Derek said almost immediately. "You wanna know if you'll hurt _her_." Scarlett knew that he was referring to Allison and she felt the slightest pang of jealousy in her chest. She had come to love Allison and considered her a really good friend but it seemed as though she was taking her place in Scott's life. Not in the girlfriend way, obviously, but in the way that Scott had always looked out for her no matter what. He always put Scarlett first and now it was all about Allison. She understood that he was probably in love with her but did he not care at all that he might hurt _Scarlett_? His _sister_? His own flesh and blood?

As if he sensed what she was feeling, Derek turned to look at Scarlett with…what was that? Sympathy? In his eyes. She looked away quickly. Not wanting to keep staring at him.

"I'll…be in the car." She announced before putting up her hood and jogging back to the car while Derek and Scott finished their conversation.

"Am I on speaker?" Scarlett asked as she finished painting her last nail in the royal blue colour that she adored.

"_Yup."_ She heard Lydia and Allison say through the phone. They were both at Allison's getting ready for the big date. She was happy for Scott and Allison but it was a little shitty considering Lydia and Jackson were going to be there. She got the feeling that Scott was more than a little bothered by it because of course it was his first date with Allison and it was supposed to be special for them.

"Have you decided what to wear yet Al?" She asked, blowing on her nails in hopes of them drying a little quicker.

"_No…not yet. How about this one?" _Allison asked Lydia.

"_Pass."_

Scarlett then heard Lydia say 'pass' again.

"Allison I think we maybe need to go shopping at some point because I'm not hearing anything positive about your current clothing options." Scarlett said with a laugh. She picked up the remote for her TV and turned it on, smiling when she found _The Notebook_. It was her guilty pleasure…okay, maybe she was a total sap.

"_I think you're right." _

"_Here, let me see…"_ She could tell that Lydia was rummaging through Allison's clothes as she so often did with Scarlett's. There was a continuous stream of 'passes' from Lydia and Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"_This."_

"Oh my God, has it actually happened? Has Lydia Martin approved an article of clothing?"

"_Indeed it has._ _But, as much as we love you and wish you were coming…we need to get going so I shall speak to you later. Bye!" _Lydia said.

"Bye guys, have fun…" Scarlett heard a faint 'bye' in the background from Allison.

"_Oh we will."_ She could just imagine Lydia's devilish smirk as she hung up the phone.

Sitting there, watching _The Notebook_ made Scarlett feel even lonelier especially because she was in by herself. She wondered what she could do to fix that.

It was kind of a last resort and she never thought she'd have to do it but what the hell. He probably wasn't busy either. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Stiles' name and called it.

"_Hello?_" He answered on the first ring.

"Hey Stiles…what's up…?" She asked, not knowing what else to say. She was planning to invite him over so she didn't have to watch movies alone but she didn't want it to sound weird or anything.

"_Not much…what's up with you?_" He replied, sounding confused.

"Okay, this is awkward now. Do you wanna come over? I'm lonely and I could use a friend." She said, sounding pretty pathetic.

"_Uh_-" She heard a knock at the door.

"Wait, Stiles. Someone just knocked on the door…stay on the phone please." She pleaded walking out of her room.

"_What? Who is it?" _He asked.

"I don't know!"

She unlocked the door and slowly opened it, trying to control her heart rate. She sighed in relief but she was also extremely surprised to see Derek standing there.

"Umm, I'll call you back later Stiles."

"_Wait! Scar, who's at the door?" _ He asked her frantically.

"Goodbye Stiles." She hung up and locked her phone, turning her attention back to Derek.

"So uh, what uh…what brings you here D-Derek?" She asked, not trying to sound rude or nervous. He smiled a little, liking the way his name sounded when she said it.

"Feel like going for a drive?" He asked. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You are aware that there's a curfew right, Mr Hale?" She asked light-heartedly. He half-grinned.

"Don't tell me you've never broke the rules before." He said with a smirk.

"I've done no such thing." She said, acting offended.

"Well there's a first time for everything right?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"But I'm in my PJ's…" She gestured to her shorts and tank top.

"Be spontaneous." He said with a shrug. She laughed and it was a beautiful sound, almost…musical.

"Okay." She shrugged. "But I need shoes and a leather jacket of my own. Feel free to come inside."

He walked into the house and watched her go to the couch where her black leather jacket was sitting, along with her converse. She yanked on the shoes and then the jacket, putting her phone into the pocket. She walked briskly back over to him and grabbed her keys.

"Lead the way."

"Don't get me wrong, I love Allison. I really do but she's kind of stealing all of Scott's attention and _God_ that sounds so selfish of me to say but it's the truth. Scott and I used to be inseparable and now…he's always off with Allison or Stiles and I tag along, sure, but what's the point? And it's not as if I can go talk to my best friend about it because she's so fucking caught up in the bag of dicks that _is_ Jackson Whittemore!" Scarlett ranted, enjoying getting all of the pent up emotion out to someone. Albeit she wished it wasn't Derek because she must have seemed like an emotionally compromised teenage girl, which she was, but Derek didn't seem to mind too much.

"So really, if I'm understanding this correctly…all of that just means you're lonely." He said, glancing at her as he drove.

"Exactly." She sighed. "At least _someone_ gets it. By the way, I really do appreciate you letting me get all of this out. You probably want to blow your brains out by now with all of this teen drama though."

"No, not really…Well, it_ could_ do with a little less dramatizing but I get the loneliness." Scarlett looked at him sympathetically. Of course he got it. His whole family was dead and now his sister was as well. Scarlett didn't understand how he coped.

"I'm sorry." She said after a moment of silence. He gave her a questioning look. "About your sister…I mean, you've been through so much crap with everyone thinking it was you who did it and I bet no one's actually thought about how you're feeling about it. And yet, you somehow manage to put on such a brave face all the time. I admire that. I would be a complete mess if anything happened to Scott, bar the whole becoming a mythical creature thing."

Derek's face turned hard again. She was right. No one _had_ asked him how he was doing but that was probably because there was no one to ask. It's not as if he had friends or even a family. It was just him and he hated it. And somehow, this girl _saw_ that. She acted like she cared and hey, maybe she did. He found that hard to believe though. Scarlett had her own life and her own problems and here she was worrying about him. It was almost laughable.

"Thank you." He said tightly. She gave him a sincere smile and his eyes softened.

Realising that he needed gas, he pulled into the gas station that they were conveniently just passing.

Derek cut the engine and got out of the car, walking around it to get to the pump. Scarlett sat back and sighed. She was enjoying this. Just being around him felt…normal. She wasn't nervous like she usually was. They were just talking and it felt good because she needed someone to talk to about all of this crap. She inhaled the scent of the car again because it was so good and she faintly smelled his cologne which was also pretty goddamn amazing.

A red SUV pulled up right in front of them and she had a bad feeling about it. Her window was crack open slightly and through it she heard Derek talk to her.

"Get down." He sounded tense and her eyes widened before doing what he said and sliding off of the seat, crouching onto the floor as far down as possible.

Outside, she could hear the muffled voices of another man. She was getting kind of freaked out and she wondered what the hell was going on.

She gasped when someone smashed the glass on the driver's side but she covered her mouth to keep from making any more noises. She felt a bit of glass cut her face and she cursed out whoever the hell just did that.

"Oil looks good to me." The man said. Oil? What the _hell_? Luckily, he failed to see her.

She touched a hand to where the glass was and pulled it out, biting her tongue as she did so. There was blood on the glass that had come from her cheek and she felt like crying because it actually really hurt.

After a few more minutes, she heard the car or _cars_, more like, drive away and she got back up into the seat. Derek came back around to the driver's side and he looked so pissed.

"Shit!" He swore. Scarlett felt incredibly bad for him. This guy just couldn't catch a break. He opened the door and looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine but who the hell were they?" She asked, still covering her cheek. Derek went about brushing the glass off his seat and Scarlett looked at him wide-eyed. "Um, I'm pretty sure you're gonna get a few cuts from that…"

"It'll heal." She kept giving him a worried look and he sighed, getting into the car. "It'll heal faster than normal."

She seemed to realise that he must be talking about another werewolf perk. Healing fast. That was handy.

"They were hunters."

"Werewolf hunters?

"No, deer hunters." She glared at him for his use of sarcasm and then she pouted which suited her extremely well but not as well as her full-on smile. "They're all dicks. Now, I need to get the window fixed. There are just some lines that you don't cross and they fucking crossed them."

Scarlett smirked. He sounded like a teenage boy getting pissed about his car. Which was odd because she seemed to be seeing a whole other side to Derek and she had a feeling not many people got to see that side so she was touched that he felt he could relax around her.

"My friend's fiancée is a mechanic…if I ask nicely I'm sure she'll persuade him to fix it for free." Scarlett said, attempting to cheer him up.

"No, you really don't have to." He said, starting the car.

"I want to. Plus, they both owe me for covering two of her shifts so they could go away for a weekend together. No biggie." Scarlett shrugged, smiling at him and he felt a little better. It was amazing that just her smile could do that for him.

As they drove Scarlett could faintly here _Pumped Up Kicks_ playing on the radio. She bit her lip and leaned forward, turning up the volume so that the song filled the car. Derek watched her do so and he wished she would stop biting her lip because she had no idea what it was doing to him and frankly, he didn't either.

"I love this song." She said to him. Then she started humming along, not at all willing to embarrass herself by singing in front of him.

He smirked and laughed, glancing at her as she hummed away. She looked so calm and normal, leaning her head against the window as she stared out of the windshield. While he was looking at her he happened to notice the cut on her cheek. He thought he smelled blood...turned out he _had_.

"Does that hurt?" He asked.

"What?"

"The cut."

She had kind of forgotten that it was there. "Not really."

"I shouldn't have brought you. I'm sorry." He said, letting his emotions show through for a split second before masking them again. He seemed to have done that a lot tonight. It was just something about her made him feel as if he didn't need to always hide his feelings behind a stoic expression and pretend that he didn't feel anything at all. Maybe it was because she was so open about hers.

"Don't apologise. You didn't know you were gonna get ganged up on by some psycho hunters. And besides even if I could go back in time, knowing that was going to happen, I would've still gotten in the car with you."

Derek couldn't help but feel touched by that. It was simple but she had still said it. He had basically been the reason that she was injured, yet she would _still_ have gone with him.

"Oh, before I forget…gimme your phone." She said, holding her hand out. He went to question it but then he decided against doing so. He fished his phone out of his pocket and placed it in her hand. "Thank you."

She unlocked it and made herself a contact and added her number before texting herself so that she had his as well.

"I'll text you when I've spoken to Mary about the window." She handed him back his phone and he put it back in his pocket just as they arrived at Scarlett's house.

He pulled into the side and she unbuckled her seatbelt, smiling at him before exiting the car. Before she shut the door, she bent down again. "Thanks for the ride Derek. It was…interesting." He cracked a smile at her saying the exact same thing she had said the last time she left his car.

"Goodnight Scarlett." He said.

"Night Hale." She shut the door and made her way back up to the house. Once again, he made sure that she was safely inside before driving off. He had become protective over her and he wasn't a hundred percent sure what that meant exactly. Not yet anyway.

"Hey momma bear." Scarlett said with a smile when she walked out of her room.

"Hey, what're you doing up?" Melissa asked. Like her daughter, she too was dressed in her pyjamas.

"Just some homework."

"Oh okay. Scar, were you and Scott okay tonight?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, fine. Why?" Scarlett asked, knowing that she was lying. The reason she had come out of her room was because she heard her mom coming and she knew that Scott wasn't home yet and he had asked her to stall for him.

"I feel like I leave you two alone too much."

"Mom, you leave us alone because you have to go to work. Don't feel bad about it. Besides, Scott and I just bond more when you're not here." She said with a laugh. The laugh was fake and she couldn't be farther from speaking the truth. Of course she and Scott weren't bonding. Quite the opposite actually.

"That's good. Speaking of, I'm gonna go check on him." Scarlett didn't protest. If Scott wasn't home then that was his fault. She stalled for as long as she could.

She was about to go back to her room when she heard her mom frantically screaming, making her run to Scott's room.

"Mom!" She shouted, switching the light on. Melissa was holding a bat and Stiles was on Scott's bed. "What the hell?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Melissa said, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"What am _I _ doing here?! Do any of you even _play _baseball?" He asked, gesturing to the bat.

"Hey." Scott said, coming up behind Scarlett making her jump.

She whacked him in the chest. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Could you please tell your friend to use the front door?" Melissa asked Scott.

"But we lock the front door; he wouldn't be able to get in." Scott explained.

"Exactly." The two females said at the same time.

"And do either of you care that there is a police enforced curfew?"

"Yeah, guys. You really should respect the rules." Scarlett patronized them.

"And you." Melissa pointed a finger at Scarlett.

"What'd I do?" She asked innocently.

"You _lied_ to me about Scott being home."

"He asked me too! Isn't that right?" Scarlett asked, not wanting to take the fall completely when he had in fact asked her to stall for him.

"No…" Scott shrugged.

Scarlett was seething. "Fuck you Scott." She scoffed, shaking her head and stomping out.

"Scarlett Lacey McCall, you watch your mouth!" Melissa shouted after her. She had never heard her daughter use the f word before and she was worried even more because she had said it to Scott which seemed extremely out of character for her.

Scarlett ignored her mother and slammed her bedroom door. Oh, she was so beyond pissed. Where the hell did Scott get off lying like that? They were supposed to always have each other's backs and now…well now he was just being a dick.

Scott could just forget about asking Scarlett to cover for him when he wanted to be out late. At first, she was all for it because Allison was his first real girlfriend but after him saying that…she was _through_. No way in_ hell _did he get to treat her like shit and expect her to be the ever-loving sister in return.


	4. Chapter 4: Bleeding Out

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: Love, love, love reading your guys' reviews! They're all so lovely and they inspire me to keep writing so thank you very much wolfies:) In regards to the question about Scarlett's appearance...I don't actually have an actress in mind, I just have an image of a random girl with tan skin, chocolate brown eyes and brown hair which does sound an awful lot like Nina Dobrev but I don't want you guys to imagine her as Scarlett because I feel that when you think Nina you think Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce and Scarlett is not either. So, I invite you to imagine anyone you want as Scarlett (that fits the description) but also, if you want a kind of reference then I suppose she's along the lines of Vanessa Hudgens. Again, she's not who I picture Scarlett to be but I think she's close enough in appearance. I know all of that probably sounds horribly confusing but if you get what I'm trying to say then I hope it helped somewhat haha and if didn't then here, have a chapter to make up for it...:) Oh, but I do have actresses for the other OC's - **

**Mary: Amy Gumenick. (Young Mary from Supernatural, hence where I got the name)**

**Brooke: Megan Fox (younger obviously)**

**Taylor (who you've yet to meet): Ashley Olsen. **

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Scarlett sat in class, taking turns between glaring at the back of Scott's head and writing down an essay plan. She was sitting across from Stiles so it was easy for her to hear him when he attempted whispering to Scott.

"So if Derek isn't the Alpha then who is?" Stiles asked. Scott had told them both that morning about how he went to Derek's house, blamed him for the death of the bus driver, and how Derek then told him that he wasn't even the one that bit him but it was in fact another werewolf. An Alpha, to be exact.

"Probably someone that either wants revenge on Derek or just…hates him. Also, they've gotta be alone. Like, not a lot of connections because why else would they want to turn you?" Scarlett added in, making a dig at her brother but he either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I don't know." Scott muttered.

"Does Allison's dad know about the Alpha?"

"I don't know!" Scott snapped, turning to face Stiles and Scarlett, making the whole class turn to look at him.

Scarlett's test paper was handed back to her and she smiled at the red 'A' on it. She looked at Stiles to see that he also got an A. They high-fived and then looked at Scott's paper which was graded as a 'D.'

"You need to study more Scott." Scarlett said, her tone coming out nastier than she meant for it to be. At that point, she didn't really care though. If he was going to act like a bitch then so was she.

"Yeah, I get that. Thank you." Scott snapped at her. She just rolled her eyes. "I'm going to Allison's to study tonight." That fact only made Scarlett roll her eyes again.

"That's my _boy_." Stiles said, sounding proud.

"You're disgusting." She whispered to him, knowing what was going through his mind. Apparently, to boys, 'study' meant sex. And she learned that from her time of dating Jackson…not something that she really wanted to think about. Those memories were supposed to be locked away somewhere in the back of her mind. In a vault that was never to be opened.

"We're just studying." Scott said, being the oh-so innocent boy he was.

"Uh- no, you're not." Stiles protested.

"No I'm not…?"

"Not if I'm forced to live vicariously through you. If you go to her house tonight and squander that colossal opportunity, I swear to God I'll have you de-balled!"

"Okay." Scott said, ending Stiles' rant. "No more questions."

"Got it. No more questions or talk about the Alpha _or_ Derek…especially Derek, who…still scares me." Stiles said causing Scarlett to crack a smile. She loved how much Derek scared the crap out of both Stiles and Scott. Well, not really Scott as much anymore but she knew Derek would still be able to kick his ass in a fight which made Scarlett relatively happy.

"Hey Scar, do you have a sec?" Scarlett turned and groaned internally at the sight of Jackson swaggering up to her.

"For you Jackson? No." She went back to looking through her locker, trying to find the book she needed. The hallway was deserted apart from the two of them and that made Scarlett slightly uncomfortable.

He slammed her locker closed, making her jump back and glare at him.

"What the hell do you want?" She asked angrily.

"I couldn't help but notice how you don't really hang around Lydia and I when we're together and I just wanted to say that you don't have to be jealous of her." He said obnoxiously. She narrowed her eyes at him before letting out a laugh.

"Jealous? You think I'm _jealous _of Lydia? For dating _you_?" She thought it was probably the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Right up there next to werewolves being real. "Jackson, let's not forget that I was the one who broke up with you. Not the other way around."

"Yeah, but come on…I know you didn't want to and now look at you, you're all alone." He tried putting on a sincere face but she could see right through it.

"Actually _yes_. I very much _did_ want to break up with you and no, I don't like being around you and Lydia because quite frankly, I think she's too good for you and you're a selfish, narcissistic little bastard." She finished with a false smile. He let out a sound that was between a scoff and a laugh and he looked down before looking back up at her, trying not to lose his cool.

"You're hurt, I get it." He said, moving a piece of hair behind her ear. She whacked his arm quickly, not wanting him to touch her or be in her personal space at all.

"Don't _touch _me." She gritted out.

"Scarlett." She looked behind her and saw Derek, not looking too hot.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" He was really pale and sweaty and he looked tired because of the dark circles under his eyes. "Are you okay?"

He moved slightly and looked as if he was going to fall so Scarlett's hands shot out to steady him.

"Where's Scott?" He asked, his voice was strained and Scarlett had no clue as to what was wrong with him.

"Why should we tell you?" Jackson asked. Why hadn't he left already? His very presence was pissing Scarlett off royally.

"I didn't ask you." Derek said lowly.

"Get lost Jackson." Scarlett hissed at him. Jackson ignored her and continued to look at Derek in an arrogant way he looked at everyone. The way that was supposed to make him look unapproachable and tougher than everybody else but in reality only made him look like more of a douchebag than he already was.

"Okay tough guy. How about I help you find him, _if _you tell me what you're selling him."

"Oh my God Jackson just _leave_. I'll help you find Scott." Scarlett reassured Derek who continued to give Jackson an incredulous look.

"No. Not until he tells me what it is. Is it Dianabol? Hmm? HGH?"

"Steroids." Derek said disbelievingly while Scarlett glared at Jackson.

"No, girl scout cookies. What the hell do you _think_ I'm talking about? And whatever it is you're selling, I would stop sampling the merchandise. You look _wrecked._"

"Okay, Jackson…Seriously, shut the fuck up. Derek, let's go find Scott." Scarlett said, turning away from Jackson and still helping Derek steady himself.

"We're not finished talking Scarlett." Jackson said, yanking her arm making her jerk backwards. That's when Derek snapped and shoved Jackson, face-first, against the lockers causing Jackson to groan in pain.

"Oh shit." Scarlett said when she saw that Derek's claws had went into Jackson's neck. They were all bloody now. "We gotta go."

Scarlett put one of Derek's arms around her shoulders and helped support his weight which was hard to do considering how small she was in comparison to him and although she had muscle from her years of cheerleading, he was still pretty much putting all of his weight onto her even though she could tell he was trying not to.

Derek stopped and concentrated as if he was listening to something although Scarlett could hear nothing.

"What do you know about Scott going to Allison's house?" He asked her suddenly.

She gave him a weird look. "Why?"

"Just tell me."

"Uh- yeah, he's going there after school to study but we all know that's not what's going to happen." Scarlett scoffed. She really didn't want to think about her brother's sex life.

Derek looked worried and she was going to ask him why he wanted to know but the bell rang and he covered his ears looking to be in even more pain considering they were standing right underneath the bell.

"Alright…come on." She said, starting to walk again. She was keen to know what the hell had happened to him but she assumed she'd learn when he was talking to Scott so she didn't say anything.

They got outside and she told Derek to stay put until she got back from asking around about Scott. He nodded and she left.

After having no luck she noticed Stiles' jeep and thought that he was probably her best bet so she made her way over to him but when she got there he was stopped in front Derek who was lying in the middle of the road.

"Derek!" She whisper-shouted, running over to him. "You cannot be doing this. Seriously, people are looking! You _have_ to get the hell up." She kept saying, trying to help him up but every move he made was causing him more pain.

"What the hell?" She heard Scott say.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked. He went to answer but she stopped him. "Just help me get him up."

Stiles had gotten out of the jeep as well and there was a crowd starting to form around them, along with loads of people honking their horns. Scarlett ignored them and managed to get Derek sitting up.

"What happened to you?" Scott asked.

"I was shot." Derek replied making Scarlett gasp.

"Shouldn't you be healing?" She asked, remembering what he had told her about werewolves healing quickly.

"He doesn't look so good…" Stiles said from behind them.

"Very helpful, thank you." Stiles made a face at Scarlett and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I can't-" Derek breathed out. "It w-was a different kind of bullet."

"A silver bullet?" Stiles asked in a shocked tone.

"No, you idiot." Derek spat out.

"Wait, wait. That's what she meant when she said you had forty-eight hours." Scott said, seeming to have an epiphany.

"What? Wh-who said that?"

"The woman who shot you." Scott replied. Just then, Derek let out a cry of pain and Scarlett felt really bad for him especially because she couldn't do anything to help. His eyes started turning electric blue and Scarlett's eyes widened. Was he _shifting_?

"What are you doing?! Stop that!" Scott said.

"I _can't_."

"Help me put him in your car." Scott said to Stiles. Scarlett looked at her twin, offended.

"Hey, I think _I'm_ perfectly capable of helping you put him in the car." She said.

"Whatever, just move him." Scott said as she also grabbed a hold of Derek and started dragging him to Stiles' jeep.

"I'll go with them. You can take our car to Allison's." Scarlett said, hopping into the back of the jeep. It was supposed to be her turn for the car but she didn't really want to leave Stiles alone with Derek.

She listened to Scott and Derek talk about how whoever shot him was an Argent and then Scott told Stiles to start driving.

"I hate you so much for this." Stiles complained before driving away.

After a while, Scarlett leaned forward and asked Derek how he was doing. He didn't reply, he just looked at her and she felt kind of stupid.

"Right…crappy question. Sorry." She apologised, sitting back again.

"Scott hasn't found the bullet yet so…" Stiles said, throwing his phone down and then looking at Derek who was taking off his jacket. "Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats okay? We're almost there."

"Almost where?"

"You're house." Stiles said as if it was obvious.

"You can't take me there." Derek protested.

"I can't take you to your own house?" Stiles asked, not believing that crap.

"Not when I can't protect myself." Stiles sighed and pulled on to the side of the road.

"What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet? Hm? _Are you dying_?" Stiles asked him, his patience becoming shorter.

Scarlett was horrified by the thought of Derek dying but she had been wondering the same thing. She just wished that Scott would actually find the bullet and not mess everything up because he was being selfish. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, looking back and forth between Stiles and Derek as they talked.

"Not yet…" Her chest tightened when he said that. He better not freaking die. "I have a last resort." That made her feel slightly better but not much and the worry was still eating at her.

"And what would that be…?" Scarlett asked, fearing the answer. Derek rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and she felt as if she was going to be sick and apparently so did Stiles.

"Oh, my _God_. _What is that_? Ugh, is that contagious? You know what, you should probably just get out." Stiles said, looking completely disgusted by the wound in Derek's arm. There was a hole, obviously made from the bullet and the surrounding skin was dark and bruised looking because of the prominent black veins that ran in all directions from the wound. There was also some sort of squishy liquid oozing out of it and it was horrible. His arm looked like it had been infected with some life-threatening disease which wasn't actually too far from the truth.

"Stiles!" Scarlett hissed. As much as she didn't like looking at the wound, she wasn't just going to let Derek be thrown onto the street while he was _dying_.

"What? It's freaking disgusting!"

"Start the car. Now." Derek said weakly.

"I don't think you should be barking _orders_ with the way you look okay? A-and in fact I think that if I wanted to, I could probably drag your werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead."

"But I'm not gonna let him do that because I actually have a heart." Scarlett told Derek. He looked at her and she gave him a small smile before he glared menacingly at Stiles.

"Start the car. Or, I'm gonna rip your throat out…with my teeth." Scarlett had to admit that she found that pretty fucking attractive. Derek making threats like that. Of course, she wouldn't be too happy if he actually _did_ kill Stiles but she couldn't deny that him speaking like that had some sort of weird effect on her. If the circumstances had been different there might've been a good chance of her jumping his bones right then and there.

Stiles looked out the window but then started the car grudgingly, scared and annoyed by Derek's death threat.

After a couple more hours of driving around aimlessly, Stiles pulled over and called Scott again. While he did that, Scarlett leaned forward and started talking to Derek. She wanted to find some way to take his mind off of the pain or at least make him feel slightly better because she hated seeing him like that.

"So um, I talked to my friend this morning and she said that it's no problem about the window so you can just go whenever and say I sent you and that's her debt to me cleared." She told him with a quiet laugh.

"Thank you but it really wasn't necessary." He said although she could tell it took a lot of strength for him to talk.

"Like I said, it's no biggie." She smiled at him and he wanted to smile back but he couldn't muster one up and he hoped she understood that, which she did.

"By the way, he's starting to smell." Both Scarlett and Derek turned to look at Stiles.

"_Like what_?" She heard Scott ask on the other line.

"Like _death_." Stiles said, exaggerating the truth. Yeah, Derek didn't smell as amazing as he normally did but she wouldn't go as far as saying he smelled like death.

"_Take him to the Animal Clinic._"

"What about your boss?" Stiles asked. That was a good point. Surely Dr Deaton would still be there and if he wasn't how were they supposed to get in? Unless Scott had a key.

"_He's gone by now. There's a spare key behind the dumpster."_ She knew it.

Stiles handed the phone to Derek. "Did you find it?" Scarlett leaned back again and from there, she couldn't hear Scott anymore.

"Look, if you don't find it then I'm dead." Scarlett's heart sank.

"Then think about this, the Alpha called you out against your will and he's gonna do it again. Next time, you either kill with him or you get killed. So if you wanna stay alive then you need me…find the bullet." Derek then hung up and gave Stiles his phone back.

Stiles opened the door and the three of them walked into the garage of the clinic. Derek went straight for the wall where he slid down it and held his arm looking really worn out. Stiles got a text from Scott, and Scarlett, well she just stood there not really sure of what to do.

"Does Nordic Blue Monkshood mean anything to you?" Stiles asked Derek.

"It's a rare form of wolfsbane. He has to bring me the bullet."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm gonna die without it."

Scarlett chose that moment to step in. "You're not gonna die. Scott's gonna get the bullet and you're gonna freaking live. Stop being so damn negative."

Both boys looked at her and she stared right back, refusing to let anyone believe that Derek was going to die. She just had to make sure she believed it as well which meant that she needed to believe in Scott, which she was finding hard to do.

Scarlett helped Derek up as Stiles opened the door that lead to the main surgery room. Derek parted from her and she began shaking slightly when he took his shirt off.

"Oh, sweet _Jesus_." She mumbled as she took in his half naked form. Derek had heard her and he smirked internally but he had to concentrate on finding what he needed. She noticed an interesting tattoo on his strong, defined back… right between his shoulder blades. It was three sort-of spirals that were connected. There was probably some meaningful story behind it and she made a mental note to ask him later when he was back in full swing and not on the verge of death.

Scarlett didn't know what else to do other than watch Derek and admire his perfectly sculpted chest and torso. He had abs but they weren't so defined that they were fake looking, they were actually just right. And then of course there was his prominent V-lines that led from his hips into his jeans and…Scarlett stopped herself from thinking any further. She should probably at least be _trying_ to help.

"You know it doesn't look like anything some Echinacea and a good night's sleep couldn't cure." Stiles said when Derek put his arm on the steel table, letting Scarlett get a good look at his muscly bicep which she also approved of. Obviously, what Stiles had said wasn't true but Scarlett didn't know what else to say.

"If this infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me."

"Positivity just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?" Stiles asked making Scarlett role her eyes even though she had said practically the same thing earlier.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time," Derek opened a drawer, taking out some sort of power-saw thing. "Last resort…"

Stiles hadn't seen it at that point but Scarlett had and she got an even worse feeling because she knew what his last resort was now.

"You're gonna cut off my arm." Derek said to Stiles although the words made _Scarlett _feel sick. She couldn't watch his arm getting sawed off. Like, what the hell?

"Um…I really don't think you're gonna need to chop your arm off Derek. Scott _will_ be here with bullet you just need to wait a little longer." Scarlett said although she was doubting her own words.

"I don't have _time_." Derek said, pushing the saw across the table to Stiles.

"I beg to differ." Scarlett protested.

"I am going to _die_, Scarlett. This is the only way. Scott isn't here." Derek told her sternly. She inhaled deeply and tried to calm herself down.

Stiles turned on the saw for a split second and then put it back down, getting even more freaked out. "What if you bleed to death?" He asked while Derek made a tourniquet out of some blue elastic.

"It'll heal if it works." He said through clenched teeth.

"Look…I don't know if I can do this." Stiles was looking squeamish. Scarlett would feel the same way if Derek was asking her to do it.

"Why not?" He demanded.

"Well, because of the cutting of the flesh, the sawing of the bone and especially the blood!"

"You faint at the sight of blood?"

"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!" Stiles exclaimed. "Why can't you do it Scar?"

She hated the idea of it but if it would save Derek's life then she would suck it up and try not to vomit on him. But, before she got a chance to reply Derek spoke.

"_No._ You're gonna do it."

"But I can't!"

"Fine, how about this? Either you cut off my arm or I'm gonna cut off your head." Another threat. And this time he was shirtless. _Great_.

"Okay, you know what I am so not buying you're threats-" Before Stiles had a chance to finish, Derek had reached across the table and grabbed Stiles' shirt, yanking him forward. "Alright, fine, bought, sold. I'll do it, totally. I'll do it!"

Derek started hunching forward and Scarlett gave him a worried look before he threw up black blood. The sight made her want to vomit as well.

"_Holy God_, what the hell is that?" Stiles' voice went up an octave as he looked in horror at Derek.

"My body, it's trying to heal itself." Derek rasped out. "Now. You gotta do it now." He leaned off of the table so that just his arm was on it. Scarlett's eyes widened and she started panicking.

"Look honestly, I don't think I can." Stiles admitted.

"Just do it!" Derek shouted.

"Oh my God."

"Holy shit…" Scarlett said as Stiles turned on the saw. She went to stand at the other side so that she was crouched down beside Derek's face and she wasn't looking at Stiles. He put the saw to Derek's arm and Scarlett panicked. She didn't know what else to do so she grabbed Derek's face and kissed him.

"Alright, here we go…" She heard Stiles say and she kissed Derek harder. He kissed her back and braced himself for the sure agony to come but it never did. Scarlett pulled away extremely quickly when she heard Scott's voice.

She looked up to see Scott run in wearing a horrified expression at the scene before him. Scarlett let out a sigh of relief.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

"Oh, you just prevented a life time of nightmares." Stiles said as his face flooded with relief.

"Great timing." Scarlett told Scott.

"Did you get it?" Derek asked. Scott dug the bullet out of his pocket and handed it to Derek who was standing up. He examined it but Scarlett noticed he looked as if he was going to pass out.

"What're you gonna do with it?"

"I'm gonna…I'm gon-" He dropped the bullet and fell to the ground before Scarlett could try and steady him. The bullet rolled away and Scott chased after it.

"Oh my God!" Scarlett said as she knelt beside Derek who was unconscious on the floor. "Derek?" She shook him but he didn't open his eyes.

Stiles dropped down beside her as well and started slapping Derek's face. "Come on Derek. Wake up. Scott what the hell are we gonna do?"

"I don't know!" Scott called, he was trying to get back the bullet but it had fallen into the drain. "I can't reach it."

"Derek…please wake up." Scarlett squeezed his hand as Stiles continued slapping him.

"He's not waking up! I think he's dying… I think he's dead!"

"He's not dead Stiles!" Scarlett hissed at him. She could still see Derek breathing.

"Just hold on!" Scott shouted.

"What do we do?" Scarlett asked Stiles who was just as clueless as she was.

"Um…punch him." He suggested.

"You punch him!"

"No, he'll kill me! He won't kill you. Besides, you have a better right hook anyway." Stiles told her. That much was true. She groaned and moved so that she was straddling Derek and she looked regretful before she even did it.

"Please don't hate me…" With that she punched him square in the face and her hand felt like it had been broken but it worked and Derek came to. She quickly got off of him whilst cradling her injured hand. What the _hell_ was his face made of? She was going to have to get her hand checked out because there is no way there wasn't going to be some sort of bruising on the bone now.

"I got it!" Scott said, coming back over to them. Derek got to his feet with Stiles' help and took the bullet.

Scarlett watched as he bit the top of the bullet off and emptied its contents onto the table before taking out a lighter and lighting the powder up. There was a strange reaction and the sparks started flying up making the teens jump back a bit before the sparks died down and rising from the ashes was a strange blue smoke. Derek gathered it into his hand and hesitated before applying it directly onto his wound.

He started screaming in pain and Scarlett clenched her jaw. In all honesty, she hated seeing him in pain and she felt the need to cry. He fell onto the floor again, still screaming and convulsing and Scarlett couldn't imagine what that must've felt like.

Mixed in with his screaming was his growling and for a moment, Scarlett thought he was going to shift but thankfully, he didn't and she watched as all the infected and disgusting looking veins on his arm made their way back up to the actual bullet wound and it all healed.

"That. Was…Awesome! Yes!" Stiles shouted, earning strange looks from the twins. Derek got up and he looked like he was back to his normal self.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked softly.

"Except from the agonizing pain?" He asked sarcastically, making her glare. And to think she had almost been crying at seeing him like that. _Dick._

"Guessing the ability to use sarcasm's a good sign of health." Stiles said and it was Derek's turn to glare.

"Okay, we saved your life." Scott exclaimed. "Which means you're gonna leave us alone. You got that?"

Wait a minute…she didn't really want Derek to leave them alone, well _her_ anyway. Sure he was a dick but she enjoyed his company and he seemed to be the only person she could actually talk to anymore. If he left her alone then she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone and she'd end up going insane.

"And if you don't then I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad and I-I'm gonna tell him everything-"

"Scott…" Scarlett began to protest but Derek cut in as well.

"You're gonna trust them? You think they can help you?"

"Well why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are." Scott shouted. To Scarlett, he was just making an ass of himself.

"Yeah, I can show you exactly how nice they are." Derek said grimly.

Scott, Scarlett and Derek all got out of Derek's car when they arrived at the hospital.

"What are we doing here?" Scott questioned. Derek didn't say anything so Scott looked to Scarlett who shrugged and followed after Derek.

They walked through the building until Derek stopped at one of the doors. Scarlett walked in after Derek and Scott followed closely behind her. She saw a man, sitting in a wheelchair. He wasn't moving at all but his eyes were open and she could only see one side of him.

"Who is he?" Scarlett asked Derek quietly.

"My uncle." He answered. Scarlett was under the impression that Derek didn't have any family left to speak of but here was his uncle. Of course, considering that he was in there…he must've been the only person to escape the Hale House fire but with serious injuries. "Peter Hale."

"Is he like you…a werewolf?" Scott asked.

"He was. Now he's barely even human." Scarlett felt sympathetic for Derek and she wished that she could just reach out and hold his hand or hug him but he wasn't really that kind of guy so she refrained from doing so. "Six years ago my sister and I were at school. Our house caught fire. Eleven people were trapped inside…He was the only survivor."

Scarlett quickly wiped away the stray tear that had fallen from her eye. If she understood, then…the _Argent's_ had set the house on fire. The family of hunters. _Allison's_ family.

As if Scott was thinking the same thing he spoke up. "So what makes you so sure that they set the fire?"

"Because they're the only ones that knew about us."

"Then, they had a reason." Scott said, trying to find any excuse for the Argent's actions.

"Like what?" Derek questioned, fixing Scott with a cold stare. "You tell me what justifies this." Derek moved Peter's chair around, causing his head to fall limply to the side revealing the horrible burn marks that adorned an entire half of his face. Scarlett gasped quietly and covered her mouth. "They say they'll only kill an adult and only with absolute proof but there were people in my family that were perfectly ordinary in that fire. This is what they _do_. And it's what Allison will do!"

"What are you _doing_?" A voice asked from the door. They all turned around to see a small redheaded nurse. "How did you get in here?"

"We were just leaving." Derek said, taking Scarlett's arm and walking out with Scott close behind them.

Once Scott was out of the car and on his way up to the house, Scarlett turned to Derek giving him a sympathetic look.

Derek liked the fact that she cared so much but it seemed as though she was never done feeling sorry for him and he didn't want her to pity him. He didn't need that.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't even know anyone survived that fire." She said, shaking her head slightly. "A-and seeing him and knowing it was Allison's family that did that, I just…"

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it." He looked away from her and noticed how she was cradling her hand and he remembered that she'd hurt it when she punched him. "How's the hand?"

Scarlett looked at her hand which was already starting to bruise. "Um, it's fine. Just a little bruised…but that's _not_ what we're talking about. We're talking about how I worry about you_._" She cursed herself for saying that out loud and quickly started talking again, not catching the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "I mean, _somebody_ has to. It sucks being alone and I know that you really don't have a lot of friends and-"

"How do you know for sure that I don't have a lot of friends? Maybe…I have loads." He teased with a slight smirk. How in the hell, after the shitty day he'd had, was just talking to her enough to make him feel better?

She gave him an incredulous look. "_Do you_?" When he didn't answer she smirked. "Didn't think so…therefore I am taking up that job."

"What?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be your friend because you don't have any and mine all suck most of the time."

"And since when do friends kiss each other?" Shit. She should've known he would bring that up at some point.

"Since…we both thought that your arm was going to get chopped off and I didn't know what else to do to distract you." She said hopelessly.

"You could have done nothing."

"True, but what kind of _friend_ would I have been then?" She asked with a smile. He couldn't help but smile back and shake his head. She was…something else, and he liked her.

Scarlett went to get out of the car but then she realised that she had the perfect opportunity to get him back for what he said about her cheerleading uniform when she went to talk to him in jail.

His eyes widened slightly as she leaned over to him. "Nice abs by the way." She whispered in his ear before leaning back and actually getting out of the car.

He laughed to himself when she was inside the house. Yep, something else _entirely_.


	5. Chapter 5

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has commented on the relationships that Scarlett has with both Derek and Scott. I'm glad you guys are seeing that because I do try and delve into their characters so that it's as real as possible. Once again, thank you for all of the reviews, favs and follows! It really does mean a lot:)**

* * *

Scarlett mulled over her options of movies as she walked down an aisle of the video store. She twirled her keys in her hand as she thought about it…romance? Comedy? Should she do both and go for a rom-com? _Nope._ Horror? Oh, maybe she should watch one of those werewolves movies that Stiles was talking about or-

She looked up when she heard the bell on the door ringing. In walked Jackson looking semi-pissed. If she knew anything then she knew that Lydia had sent him in there to get _The Notebook_. It was one of Lydia's favourite movies, much like it was one of Scarlett's. Lydia often talked about how she had Jackson completely bitched and she could make him watch it with her whenever she wanted.

Jackson's eyes found Scarlett and he smirked before he walked over to her. "Scarlett…" He purred, trying to annoy her.

"Dick." She greeted him with a false smile before turning her attention back to the movies, attempting to ignore his presence.

"Is that all you ever think about?" He asked rudely, knowing he was getting under her skin. Scarlett hid her rage by taking in a deep breath and then exhaling telling herself he wasn't worth it.

"Goodbye Jackson." She said curtly, walking away from that aisle. Jackson's hand shot out to grab her arm before she got very far though.

"Wait, can you help me find The Notebook?" His jaw was clenched and she could tell that he hated the fact he was going to have to watch it again _and_ that he had to ask for help to find it.

She gave him a look and scoffed, yanking her arm away. "Find it yourself."

Jackson grit his teeth together and went about trying to find it before giving up after about two seconds.

"Can somebody help me find The Notebook?" He called out hopelessly. Scarlett let out a small laugh. Looking around, she realised that the guy that worked there wasn't there anymore and he had been when she had walked in. _Strange_. Apart from her and Jackson, there was literally nobody else in the store.

She walked out of the aisle that she was in and looked around again. All she could see was Jackson asking if anyone was there.

"There was when I came in but he's obviously not here anymore." She told him with a shrug. He gave her a look and quickly walked towards her when a light started flickering. She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, a flickering light. How terrifying."

"Do you hear that?" He asked, whipping his head from side to side.

"It's just a phone." She said simply, not believing that he was freaking out.

"No, not that. It's…too quiet."

"Um, maybe because we're the only two people in here." Jackson had suddenly gripped her arm and she looked down at it before looking back up. "Jackson, what the hell?"

He turned her around so that she was facing the same way as him and she got the same look on her face. There, just ahead of them was what appeared to be the feet of someone lying down. Well, that wasn't good. She was now the one gripping Jackson's arm as the two of them walked towards the aisle that the feet were sticking out of.

They slowly peered around the aisle and Scarlett's hands shot up to cover her mouth at the sight.

"Oh my God." She gasped, looking away from the man. He was clearly dead. His throat looked as if it had been _ripped out._ He was all bloody and his eyes were still open.

Jackson was just as startled as Scarlett and he moved backwards, knocking into her before she could stop him and before she could stop herself from falling into the ladder that was underneath the flickering light. The ladder fell and suddenly all of the lights were flicking on and off and eventually they went out making the whole store dark.

Scarlett got back up with the help of Jackson and they stood extremely close to each other, scared out of their wits. She didn't know what had done that to the poor man but she was pretty sure it wasn't a mountain lion and her guess was too scary to admit.

There was a growling noise behind them and Scarlett's blood ran cold. The two of them turned, ever so slowly, and looked right at the growling beast. Its eyes shone a blood-red and Scarlett was frozen in fear because that's exactly how Scott had described what the Alpha looked like and that had been her guess as to what had happened to the guy that worked at the store.

Jackson's eyes widened and he quickly jumped behind one of the shelves of movies, yanking Scarlett with him when he noticed she wasn't moving. He made her duck down with him and somehow they ended up gripping each other's hands. Scarlett didn't exactly like doing that but if she was going to die then what did it matter. She actually felt a lot better that Jackson was there and she wasn't going through this alone.

They both looked around the corner and saw a big flash of black before they quickly moved back again, breathing heavily trying to stay as calm as possible. Their hands became sweaty but they gripped them tighter, trying to find comfort in the action.

_God,_ she felt like she was in a fucking horror movie.

The supposed Alpha knocked the shelves and the DVD's came tumbling down on them but they remained still. Then, it actually knocked the shelves over and it was like dominoes. One by one they fell onto each other and when it came to their shelf falling down, Jackson did something that surprised Scarlett. He pushed her out of the way before she could get crushed and instead, his legs got caught under it.

"Jackson!" She whispered in a panicked tone as she crouched beside him. He was making pained noises but keeping them as quiet as possible. Scarlett didn't know what to do but she couldn't just leave him lying there so she crawled to the shelf that was on top of Jackson and tried to push it off but _damn_, the thing was heavy.

Her heart started hammering in her chest we she saw the beast up close, approaching her and Jackson. It was _definitely_ the Alpha. It looked like a much bigger version of Scott and Derek when they shifted except it was much more animal and looked like an _actual_ monster, which it was, from a fairy-tale or something.

She shrank back to the point where she was almost lying on the ground. It looked at her as she shook with fear, growling ferociously at her. That was it. She was most definitely going to die. That thing was going to kill her and then she would never get to do anything with her life. She would never know what would've happened in her future, what life would have been like when she made it out of Beacon Hills. She would never see her mom again, or Scott or Lydia, Allison…any of her family…she would never see _Derek _again. Oh crap. She barely knew him and she was already thinking about him in what could be her last moments of breathing.

Scarlett wanted to cry or scream or _something_ but she physically couldn't. Her body wouldn't allow it. All she did was watch the Alpha use its claws to move Jackson's jacket slightly and look at something on his neck. Was it looking at the claw marks Derek had left on him? Maybe it could sense that it was Derek that made those marks. The thing was out to get him after all.

Apart from her own pounding heartbeat in her ears, the only thing she could hear was Jackson's short and terrified breaths. She wanted so badly to help him. She may have hated him slightly but that didn't mean she wanted to watch him get killed right before her eyes…right before _she_ was about to get killed.

The Alpha slowly backed up, growling at Scarlett once more before running and smashing through the window of the video store.

There was never a happier moment in her life than that moment. The moment she knew that she wasn't going to die. Relief flooded through her and she closed her eyes for a second, thanking her lucky stars for the fact she was still breathing. Then she remembered Jackson and she got up quickly, jumping to where his face was turned towards.

"Hey, hey. You okay?" He looked at her with wide eyes and he looked completely petrified. "It's gone. It's fine. I'm gonna try and move this thing off you again but I'm going to call the cops first, okay?" She asked him softly. He made a small nodding motion and she got back up, taking out her phone and unlocking it. She dialled 911 and waited for an answer before she told them everything and they said they were sending people over.

When that was done she moved back to the shelf and she managed to move it just enough, although she wasn't sure how long she could hold it up for. "Jackson, move!"

He swallowed and used his arms to push himself up, moving his legs from underneath the shelf. When he was out of the way Scarlett let the shelf drop again and she walked over to Jackson who was using _another_ shelf to steady himself. When he looked at her, his expression was pained.

"What the hell _was _that?"

"I have no idea." Scarlett replied, knowing that she had to act clueless.

"Hey Lyds, you doing okay?" Scarlett asked a traumatized looking Lydia. When the Alpha jumped through the window it had jumped onto Lydia's car, scaring the shit out of her. Now, she was sitting in the back of an ambulance with her legs hanging over the side while the police did their job and a crowd of people gathered at the scene.

"I-I'm f-fine." Was Lydia's reply. Scarlett pulled her in for a hug and they stayed like that until Sheriff Stilinksi asked if Scarlett had been questioned yet to which her reply was no.

"What time did you get here?" An officer asked as they took notes.

"About half an hour ago." Scarlett replied, hugging herself.

"Alright, can you tell me exactly what happened? Try not to leave out any details."

"Okay, um, I wanted to watch a movie so I came here to get one and when I walked in the…guy that worked there was just fixing a light. I spent a while looking for something to watch and then Jackson came in and he was asking for help to find The Notebook. That's when I realised that the guy from earlier wasn't around anymore so we started looking around and found him, dead, lying in one of the aisles." She said, trying to look upset about it. It wasn't that hard to do considering she was still pretty freaked from the whole 'almost dying' thing.

"Okay. And do you know what killed him?"

"N-no. I don't know what it was. I didn't see anything. I mean, there was some growling so maybe it was that mountain lion that everyone's talking about." Scarlett shrugged, once again acting clueless.

"Maybe…well, thank you for your time." The officer sighed.

"No problem. Sorry I couldn't be of more help." The officer just gave her a bleak smile and walked away.

Scarlett sighed and then noticed Stiles walking towards her, with a worried look on his face.

"Hey, are you okay? What the hell happened?" He asked.

"I'm fine and call me crazy but…I'm pretty sure the Alpha just attacked me and Jackson and also killed that guy." Stiles' eyes widened and he pulled her to the side where no one could hear them.

"Are you freaking serious?! It was here? Why didn't it kill you? Or Jackson?"

"Yes and I have no idea." Stiles was going to say something else but his dad came over to them before he had a chance.

"You doing okay Scarlett? You need a ride home?" He asked sincerely.

"No, I'm just gonna drive myself. Thanks anyway." She offered him a small smile.

"You get checked out? Questioned and everything?"

"Yeah, EMTs said I was all good and I gave my statement to a deputy."

"Alright kiddo, careful driving home." He nodded to her before walking away again.

"Well, I'm gonna go. But I'll tell you more about it when Scott's around." Scarlett said, walking away from Stiles.

"Bye Scar." He called after her.

"Bye."

* * *

**Sorry about your locker…Lydia forced me into it. Happy Birthday!**

Scarlett quickly texted Allison before the class started and she was forced to listen to Mr Harris go on and on and on about complete and utter crap.

**Allison: Yeah, I guessed as much but thanks anyway! **

She read the text and then locked her phone, putting it in her pocket when Mr Harris started talking.

"Just a friendly reminder…parent-teacher conferences are tonight." Oh yeah…Scarlett had completely forgotten. She didn't need to go but Scott did. Sucks for him. "Students below a C average are required to attend. I won't name you because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment. Has anyone seen Scott McCall?"

Mr Harris had stopped at Scarlett and Stiles' table and his question was clearly directed at them but Scarlett ignored it and Stiles looked up with a highlighter in his mouth. He looked around, seeming to be confused.

The room was silent until Jackson walked in and everyone just stared at him. He made eye contact with Scarlett before quickly looking away and sitting down. She noticed that he looked really tired, like he hadn't gotten any sleep. No wonder…she hadn't either.

"Jackson, if you need to leave early for _any_ reason…you let me know." Mr Harris said quietly. He was probably the only student in the school that Mr Harris didn't hate and he treated him like the golden-boy. Jackson gave a nod and Mr Harris went up to the front of the class to start the lesson.

"How come you aren't getting that treatment? You were there too…" Stiles said, leaning over to Scarlett.

"Because Mr Harris hates me _and _Jackson was the one who hit his head, not me." She replied, not really fazed at all by the attention Jackson got.

"Start reading chapter 9." Scarlett flipped open her book and was about to start reading when the asshole started talking again. "Mr Stilinski, try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a colouring book."

"Rude." Scarlett mumbled under her breath as she began reading. Halfway through the first paragraph, she stopped and wondered why Scott still wasn't there. She thought that maybe he had just been late for class but that obviously wasn't the case. If he was skipping school then he was going to get in so much trouble because he's done it before and that time, their mom was furious. So, if he's doing it again then it's going to be even worse considering that the parent-teacher conferences are tonight and he's not doing too well in any of his subjects.

Scarlett watched as Stiles leaned forward to Danny. "Danny, can I ask you a question?"

"No." He said, making Scarlett laugh quietly.

"Well…I'm going to anyway." Stiles said. "Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?"

"No."

"Stiles, she's staying off today. I thought I told you." Scarlett said to him. He gave her a look.

"No, you didn't." He said, sounding annoyed.

"I thought I did." She shrugged.

Stiles turned back to Danny again. "Can I ask you another question?"

"What?" Danny asked, annoyed by Stiles pestering him.

"Do you find me attractive?" There was no answer from Danny so Stiles kept leaning forwards until he fell off of his chair.

"_Oh my God_." Scarlett muttered, covering her face with her hand as everyone looked at their table.

* * *

"McCall!" Brooke shouted as Scarlett made her way out of the changing room. She stopped and turned around to face the angry looking blonde. _Here we go…_

"Yes?"

"If I catch you slacking off like that again then I'm gonna cut you from the fucking squad, you got that?" Scarlett narrowed her eyes at the older girl, not believing what she was hearing.

"I wasn't slacking off. I had a rough night. Sorry that I wasn't up to par, your highness."

"You better watch yourself McCall…because I'm serious." Brooke said in a low voice, pointing a finger at Scarlett.

"I'm one of the best cheerleaders you've got, not to mention I help make up half the routines these days because your too busy being a slut." Brooke's eyes widened and she looked furious. Scarlett knew that she was risking her spot on the squad but it was a democracy and Brooke was the only cheerleader that didn't like her so there was actually very little chance of her getting kicked off. "So, don't patronize me about slacking off for one practice."

"You're treading in dangerous waters you little bitch." Brooke spat before stomping off like a child.

"I know how to swim." Scarlett called out, just loud enough for Brooke to hear. She smirked and turned around only to come face to face with Derek. "Holy shit!" She shouted, having a mini-heart attack.

"She's a bitch." He said, pointing in the direction Brooke had walked off in.

"Yeah," Scarlett breathed out. "Tell me about it." She fixed her bag on her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Derek. "So, not to be rude or anything but why are you here?"

"I was talking to Jackson…then I was going to come find you. You saved me the trouble."

"By talking do you mean threatening?" She asked with a smirk.

"Naturally." He shrugged.

"Fair enough. Why do you need me?"

His face hardened and he lowered his voice. "I need to know what happened in the video store."

She leaned her head back against the wall as she sighed. She didn't want to talk about it again. She thought that when she told Scott, Derek would be there and she wouldn't have to tell the story twice. Turned out that was just not going to happen.

"Basically, the Alpha killed that guy and it didn't kill me or Jackson. Although…it did look at the claw marks on Jackson's neck and I'm pretty sure that's why it didn't kill him, or me."

"Wait, it _looked_ at the claw marks?" Derek asked.

"Um, yeah…it was really weird. It kinda looked like it recognized them or something."

"Yeah, it probably did. Doesn't explain why it left the two of you alive."

"Is it really that shocking that we're still alive? Because Stiles had pretty much the same reaction as you and I mean, call me selfish but I seem to be the only one that can appreciate the fact that I didn't _die_." Scarlett said. She was beginning to get a little pissed, the way Stiles and Derek said it just sounded as if they didn't care whether she lived or died.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm glad you're not dead. I'm just surprised." He said, making intense eye contact with her, making her heart rate quicken.

"Better." She smiled and then the bell rang. She groaned at the sound, she was not prepared to face the rest of the day. Maybe she could just ditch like Scott…

"What?" Derek asked. She seemed to remember he was there and looked back up at him.

"Uh, nothing…I just don't really wanna go back to class." She said with a slight laugh.

"You could always ditch." He said with a smirk of his own.

"You know what? I think I will." She nodded to herself. "Screw school. I deserve to miss one day. My grades are perfect." Derek laughed at her and they fell into step with each other, making their way outside.

"So are you like…going home?" Scarlett asked casually.

"Where else would I be going?" He asked, giving her a look.

"I don't know. What do you do in your free time? Well, other than threatening teenagers."

"I work out." Scarlett stopped for a second, just imagining him working out…all sweaty and beautiful. No wonder he was in such good shape.

"Okay well since you're going down into the woods anyway…feel like giving me a ride?" She asked with a cheesy smile.

"Why are you going down there, may I ask?" He asked, coming to a stop in front of his car.

"To write." She replied simply, already opening the passenger's door because she knew he was going to say yes anyway.

"Write what?" When he saw that she was getting into the car he rolled his eyes but grinned at her boldness.

She stayed quiet for a second while he got in the car and started it before turning to her with an expectant look.

"My diary." She shrugged, putting on her seatbelt. She was going to lie and say it was some essay for school but he would be able to tell if she was lying so she thought that it was best to go with the truth.

He looked at her and smirked. "A diary?"

"Yes. A diary. Because it would really suck if I kept all of these emotions bottled up and then ended up turning into some crazy bitch." The way she said it with such calmness made Derek laugh to himself. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Um, why do you need to be in the woods to write?" He asked as he sped out of the school parking lot.

She pondered it for a minute before answering. No one had ever asked _why_ she did that so she'd never really thought about the reasons that much. "I don't know…I guess I just like being away from all the noise and people in general. I mean, I can only handle people to a certain extent and then they start getting on my nerves. Being in the woods by myself helps me feel at peace, like I have a clear head and I can just write down all of my problems without worrying about them…if that makes any sense."

"I'm not gonna pretend to completely understand that but I can accept it." He said with a small smile.

"I suppose thinking about it now… it's not exactly the safest place to hang around, what with a murderous Alpha on the loose and everything."

"You still wanna go? Because I can turn around." He told her, remembering that what she said was completely true. It wasn't safe and he felt uneasy at the thought of her being in the woods all alone. He also didn't like the fact that she was in the video store when the Alpha showed up. Internally, he was beating himself up because by the time he and Scott got there, the police were already there, the Alpha was already gone and Scarlett had already been in harm's way. The two of them had no idea that it was going to attack there nor did they know that she was going to be there. If he had known then he would've prevented her from ever entering the place.

"No, it's cool but I'll probably just stay close to the house so that if trouble comes my way I won't be _completely_ defenceless. I'll have you nearby." She said softly and with a shrug.

A look of doubt crossed his face before he quickly covered it up with a slight laugh. "Yeah."

They didn't talk for the remaining few minutes of the journey instead they just sat and listened to the music on the radio letting that fill the silence.

Eventually Derek pulled up to the Hale House and they both exited the car.

"Have fun working out Hale." Scarlett winked Derek before, suddenly feeling more confident around him.

"Don't wander too far McCall." He called over his shoulder as he walked into the house. Scarlett laughed and shook her head, walking in the opposite direction. "I won't." She mumbled to herself.

It didn't take long for her to find a spot that she liked. It wasn't her usual tree but it would suffice. She sat her bag down and took out her phone, checking for any messages. She had none so she turned it off, not wanting to be disrupted by anything and she sat down leaning against the tree. She rummaged through her bag until she found the dark blue, leather-bound, book. The pages were almost completely full so she would have to get a new one although, she loved that one dearly because she'd had it for so long and all of her personal thoughts and feelings were in it.

She found a pen and opened the book to the next page that didn't have her writing scrawled all over it. Tapping her pen on the page she pondered what to write about first. After all that had happened recently, there was so much she could write. Especially because she hadn't written in her diary since…_before_ Scott became a werewolf. Before she was pretty much cast out and alone. Okay, so she would start with that.

'_Dear Diary…'_

From where Derek stood on the porch he could see Scarlett writing away. He couldn't explain why, but he thought the whole idea of her writing down her secrets and feelings was cute. Never in his life had he done such a thing nor had he ever talked to someone about his feelings because in the grand scheme of things they were irrelevant. And yet somehow, over the short while that he'd know her, he felt like he could open up to Scarlett. Not much, but more than he'd opened up to anyone in a very long time. There wasn't an exact reason for it, but Derek's guess was that they were drawn to each other because they were both lonely.

He watched her for a few more minutes, watching how her brows furrowed in concentration, how her writing seemed to get faster when she got an angry look on her face and how she gripped the pen so tightly. She was probably writing something about Scott. He had noticed how pissed off she'd been with her twin lately and that was understandable because Scott was being a dick to her but he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for Scott's actions…for making his sister feel left out. Scarlett began to bite her lip and Derek couldn't continue looking at her because if he did then more sinful thoughts would cloud his mind and he couldn't let that happen. He scanned the surrounding woods again, listening for any sign of trouble as far as his hearing would allow him and when he deemed it safe he went back inside the house.

Scarlett looked up from her diary when she thought she felt someone watching her but there was no one there. She sighed and finished her last sentence before signing the bottom of the page: '_- S.L. McCall._'

She closed the book over and ran her fingers against the smooth surface before tying the string again and putting it back into her bag. Her back ached from sitting against the tree so when she stood up she stretched and cracked her back, sighing at the feeling. She looked behind her, into the woods, feeling slightly paranoid that something was going to run out and attack her. And by something she of course meant the Alpha. She gathered her bag and slung it over her shoulder, making her way back up to the Hale House where Derek was.

The porch creaked a bit as she walked up the stairs, she was a little weary considering she'd never actually been in the house before and it looked like it was all going to collapse at any second. The majority of the house was burnt down, leaving huge holes in the roof. The windows were mostly all cracked and broken, some of the floorboards were torn up and upon walking inside she was hit with a waft of dust.

"Derek?" She called, looking for any sign of him as she made her way through the house. She didn't have to search very far before she saw him, well his back anyway. He was doing pull-ups on a door frame…shirtless. She stood and watched the way the muscles in his back clenched each time he pulled himself back up, the way the beads of sweat rolled off of him and not in the disgusting way, more like in the sexy way. Again, she was intrigued by the tattoo and she wanted to know what it was even more.

He had probably already heard her come in but she decided to make herself known nonetheless by walking forward and straight passed him, all while admiring his body. He looked at her and stopped the pull-ups but she immediately insisted he keep doing them.

"Oh, don't stop on my account. Just, pretend I'm not here." She said, making a gesture with her hands that told him to continue while she moved to lean against a wall that had a perfect view of him. Derek smirked and did a few more pull-ups before dropping to the floor and immediately starting his push-ups.

Scarlett watched the way his biceps worked to push him up and keep him steady and how he switched to doing one handed push-ups. _Show off._

"That looks like it's far too easy for you to do. Why don't we make it a little bit more challenging." Scarlett said with a smirk, dropping her bag and walking towards them.

"What'd you have in mind?" He asked, continuing to do the push-ups.

"Me." She shrugged.

"You want me to do this, with you _sit_ on me?" He was amused by her idea.

"Yep."

"Well then it's not really a challenge then…you're tiny." Scarlett pretended to be offended, putting her hand to her chest and gasping before becoming serious again, well as serious as she could be when all she wanted to do was smile.

"I'm not that small. It just seems that way to you because you're a lot taller." She stated.

"Okay then." He said and she smiled, walking the rest of the way to him and sitting sideways on his back. "Seriously, there's practically no change."

"Just shut up and start doing the push-ups." She heard him laugh and he started. She had to put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and then remembered she had planned to count how many of these he could do…oh well, she could ask him about the tattoo instead. She moved her hand from his shoulder and she used her fingertips to trace the tattoo, making him tense up more than he already had been. "So, what's the story behind the tat?"

Derek licked his lips before he spoke, continuing to do the push-ups with ease. She really did weigh nothing, or at least it felt that way to him. "Do you know what it is?"

"Three connected spirals…?"

"Good observation skills." He said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

"My mistake…in that case, no. I don't know what it is. Do enlighten me Hale."

"It's a triskelion."

"A wh-" Before she could finish her question, Derek had stopped and his head snapped to the side as if he was listening intently to something.

"Hide." He said, making her jump off of his back.

"Where?" She asked in a panicked tone.

"Anywhere!" He hissed, pushing her back so that she almost tripped. She turned and looked for somewhere to hide but the only place she could find was behind the stairs in a dark corner. She ran to it and crouched down, staying as far in the shadows as possible right before the door was kicked open and three people walked in. Two men and a woman. One of the men was holding a gun and Scarlett began to freak out. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately but that's twice in one week her life had been in danger. Her best guess was that these people were hunters and she also took a wild guess in thinking that the woman was the one who shot Derek…meaning she was an Argent.

"No one home?" One of them asked.

"Oh no…he's here." The woman said with a sick smile on her face. So, she obviously knew Derek. "He's just not feeling particularly hospitable." _No fucking wonder, bitch._

"Maybe he's out…burying a bone in the backyard." Scarlett made an unamused face at that. What a pathetic joke.

The woman gave the guy a look. "Really? A dog joke? You go in there and that's the best you got? If you wanna provoke him, say something like…too bad your sister _bit it_ before she had her first litter." The three of them were now walking around the house and Scarlett bit her tongue as to not make any sound. "Too bad she howled like a _bitch_, when we CUT HER IN HALF!"

Jesus, she was crazy.

Scarlett heard a loud and ferocious growl and then a scream from one of the hunters as he got thrown against a wall by Derek who came jumping out of one of the rooms. Scarlett couldn't see him properly from where she was hiding but from what she could tell, he wasn't fully transformed.

Derek knocked the other guy out and then Scarlett thought she heard what sounded like…what was that? A _Taser? _Did that hunter have a freaking Taser? Apparently so because she heard the sound of the electrical shock touching flesh and she cringed. She heard Derek whimper and fall to the floor. The sound made her heart ache and she thought for sure that the crazy hunter was going to kill him and there she was…completely helpless yet again.

"Wow…this one grew up in all the right places. I don't know whether to kill it or _lick_ it." Scarlett thought she was going to be sick. The hunter's words were making her feel physically ill.

She heard the sound of the woman's boots against the floor as she walked around and along with that she heard the sound of Derek trying to get back up, he was making pained noises and he sounded weak.

_Come on Scarlett…think of something._

As quietly as she could she took out her phone and turned it back on, thankful that she had turned it on silent as well so that it didn't make any noise. She almost dropped the phone when she heard the Taser hitting Derek again, the shock strong enough to make him fly backwards and end up in Scarlett's line of sight. She wished that she could help him but she knew she was useless in this situation. Focusing on her phone instead of Derek, she managed to text Scott asking him to get to the Hale House ASAP. All she could do then was wait.

The hunter's sadistic laugh rang throughout the otherwise silent house and Scarlett wanted so badly to knock her out so she wouldn't have to listen to her anymore.

"Nine-hundred thousand volts…" Holy hell that was a lot. And it must be a big ass Taser too. It was probably designed especially _for_ werewolf hunters. "You never were good with electricity were you? Or fire."

Oh, she _definitely_ knew Derek. They clearly had a past together. Scarlett didn't know what the relationship between them was but if it was what she thought it was then not only did she find it absurd that a hunter and a werewolf got together but she also felt a slight pang of jealousy. _Hurry up and get here Scott._ She kept hoping that her twin would just miraculously show up and save Derek's ass. She obviously didn't want Scott to get hurt but he would at least be able to distract the hunter long enough for Derek to get back on his feet. But, of course, Scott wasn't answering any of her texts that she kept sending.

Scarlett groaned internally as the hunter started talking again. The very sound of her voice was pissing her off in so many ways. "So I'm gonna let you in on a little secret and well, maybe we can help each other out. Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to try to catch you, unpleasant and frankly a little too…Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my taste but quite true. Hm, now _here's_ the part that might really kick you in the balls…we didn't kill her."

There was a short silence until it was filled with her voice again. "You think I'm lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time…" Derek said weakly. And there was another pang of jealousy. They _must've_ been together at some point.

"Sweetie," _Ew._ "Why don't you just listen to my heart…tell me if I am. We. Didn't. Kill. Your. Sister." Scarlett strained to hear what she was saying as she whispered the last part but she caught it anyway. "You hear that? There's no blips or uptakes. Just the steady beat of the cold hard truth. Found bite marks on your sister's body Derek. What do you think did that? A mountain lion? Why aren't we helping each other out? You might as well admit what you've been guessing all along which is…the Alpha killed your sister and all you have to do is tell us who he is and we'll take care of it for you. Problem solved. Everybody goes home happy. Your little girlfriend, whoever she may be, is safe from harm."

Scarlett's heart stopped when she heard her say that. What the hell was she talking about? Was she talking about her?

"What are you talking about?" Derek asked, cursing himself for letting Scarlett come here and putting her in danger. If Kate knew where she was hiding…she'd kill her without a second thought.

"Oh don't try to cover it up Derek. I highly doubt that that, right there, is _your _bag." Derek sucked in a sharp breath and glared at her.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._ Scarlett cursed. How could she have been so stupid to have left her bag lying out there, wide open?

"But I'm gonna let that slide considering she's really not worth my time and instead I'm going to get back to the topic at hand…judging by the look on your face, I'm gonna go ahead and say _you_ don't know who the Alpha is either. Well, guess who just became totally useless…" She turned around and before she could start firing the gun she'd taken out, Derek made a run for it leaving Scarlett alone with the psycho hunter.

When Derek was a safe distance away he turned to face the direction he had come from. "Shit!" He couldn't have been more pissed off with himself. The last thing he wanted was for Scarlett to get hurt and now he had just left her hiding from one of the most deadly people he knew. He hoped to God or whoever else there was that Kate meant what she was saying about Scarlett not being worth her time. He moved a little bit closer back to the house so that he could hear what was being said.

"You know…if I were you, whoever the hell you are, I'd get the fuck out of this mess before you end up dead. Derek isn't worth it." Kate called out, walking back out of the front door when her two side-kicks had finally come to.

Scarlett swallowed hard and she felt herself shaking like a leaf. Derek had left her. Alone and defenceless. Okay, the woman said that she wasn't interested in her but that didn't mean she wasn't going to kill her if she found out where Scarlett was. She leaned her head against the wall when she could no longer hear the hunters.

What the hell was all that shit? And who was that bitch to tell her what to do? That mess was a part of her life…and she would decide herself is she thought Derek was worth it. _She_ would decide if he was worth her life.

After sitting for what felt like an hour but was only really a few minutes, Scarlett got up again. She carefully made sure that there was no one still lurking around and she quietly went to retrieve her forgotten bag.

"Scarlett?" She heard Derek call. When she turned around she was met with his solemn face. "Are you okay?"

"Are _you_?" She countered, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Doesn't matter. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you with her-"

"I'm glad you did." She interrupted him. He gave her a confused look so she continued to explain. "You can't honestly believe that I would have rather you stayed and gotten killed for my benefit. Jeez, Derek. I'm not heartless…I'm not her." She added as an afterthought, referring to the female hunter.

How could Derek be so worried about her? She was well hidden. He wasn't. The woman was going to kill him and if he didn't run then he would've been dead and she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

"If she saw you then she would have killed you! Because of me. I put your life in danger. How can you be so forgiving?" Derek was once again confused by Scarlett and he didn't know how to feel about it. Why the hell was she always so nice to him? She should hate him. Just like Scott did. She obviously didn't understand that her being caught up in all of this was dangerous and that Kate had been right. If Scarlett didn't get out, then she was going to end up dead.

"You didn't put my life in danger! Why can't you see that?" She half exploded with frustration. Why was he incapable of understanding that not everything was his fault? "Look, it was _my_ choice to come here. Not yours. And it's not as if you invited them down here. You didn't know that they were gonna end up attacking you. But they did, and you saved your ass. It's called self-preservation. It's not a bad thing. Besides, she had no interest in me anyway. I was completely fine. So just…forget the whole thing and we can move on."

Derek stood completely still as she talked, taking in all of her words. She was a pretty powerful speaker if she put her mind to it and she also had a point. He did nothing wrong. Except for _leaving _her. He wasn't going to be able to let that go. But he wasn't going to tell her that. All she was going to see was him moving on from this, like she was.

"Okay. Let's move on. I'll drive you home." He then looked down at himself and realised he was still shirtless. "After I put on a shirt."

Scarlett couldn't help but laugh at him. For such a hard-ass he sure could be cute.

* * *

"So what else did they say?" Scarlett asked her mother, referring to her teachers at the parent-teacher conference.

"Well, practically all of them said that you're a genius and that if you keep working the way you are then you'll have no problem getting into whatever college or university you want when the time comes." Melissa replied with a bright smile. She was thrilled to hear such good news about Scarlett. Scott on the other hand…not so much.

"What about Scott?" Scarlett's voice had gotten quieter and she didn't know what her mom's reaction was going to be considering she couldn't imagine her brother got a very good report from any of the teachers and not to mention he didn't even show up.

Melissa sighed, completely stressed about whatever was going on with Scott. "It wasn't anywhere near as good as yours. I-I just don't know what's going on with him…that chemistry teacher, what's his name-"

"Mr Harris?" Scarlett suggested.

"_That's_ the one. What a _dick_. He told me that Scott's behaviour and lack of attention is due to him not having a male authority figure, you as well." Melissa looked down with a sad look in her eyes. "I-is that true? Do you feel that way?"

"Of course not mom…how could you even think that? Dad left. There's nothing we can do about it and we don't need to. We're better off without him and you do a perfect job of being an authority figure and a totally great mom at the same time. Mr Harris just talks out of his ass and wanted to find something to blame for Scott not doing so well. It's not anyone's fault." Scarlett pulled Melissa in for a hug and they stayed like that for a few minutes before Melissa remembered what she was going to tell Scarlett about when she first came went in there.

"I completely forgot to tell you! There was a mountain lion at the school tonight." Scarlett's eyes widened.

"A mountain lion? Like, the one that's been killing people?" She knew that it wasn't but still, it was strange that a mountain lion would just randomly show up at a time where everyone was blaming it for the deaths in Beacon Hills.

"Yeah…crazy right? And you know who killed it? Allison's dad."

"Mr Argent…with, like, a-a gun?"

"Yeah, what else would it have been?" Melissa asked with a strange look.

"I don't know. I'm just tired." Scarlett laughed off her worry about Mr Argent carrying a gun around with him. A gun that he probably used to kill werewolves…like Scott, and Derek.

"Alright. Get some sleep." Melissa kissed the top of Scarlett's head and got off the bed and just as she was about to close the door she turned back. "You...uh, you didn't know anything about Scott ditching today, did you?"

"No, I was in school all day."

"Good. At least one of my children knows how to behave." She smiled and closed the door.

Scarlett hated lying to her mom. It was just something she never did and there she was, lying through her teeth. But at least she had good reason for it. She didn't want to cause her mom anymore stress because dealing with Scott seemed to be hard enough.


	6. Chapter 6: Eyes On Fire

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Because it's Friday, and I managed to get through the first week back at school, I'm in a good mood so...here is a chapter for all of you lovely people! **

* * *

"Hey, did you remember to get my tea?" Scarlett asked Scott as the two of them walked into the parking lot of the grocery store. Their mom had the late shift again so they had to do a late night run of shopping.

"Your what?" Scott asked, confused by the question.

"The tea bags Scott. You know, the ones I told you not to forget like five times?" Scott gave his sister a sheepish look and she inhaled deeply. "Fine. I'll get them tomorrow or whenever." Scarlett liked her tea. It always helped her relax.

"Dammit." Scott mumbled, looking around the level for the car and not being able to see it.

"It's the wrong level isn't it?"

"Yup." The twins sighed simultaneously and turned around, walking through the door again and walking up the stairs to the next parking lot level.

"Where the hell is it?" Scott groaned, taking out the car keys and clicking them as they both listened for any noise from their car. Scarlett knew she should've been paying attention when they walked in but she was too busy texting Lydia so she had no clue where the car was either.

Scott put down the bags he was holding and then he accidently knocked one over and a bottle of milk rolled out of it and under a car.

"Good one." Scarlett said under her breath, knowing Scott would still hear it. He glared at her before going to retrieve the bottle. Scarlett watched him with an amused look but that look quickly turned to worry when the bottle came rolling back towards them.

Her eyes widened when she heard growling and she shared a look with Scott before he backed up towards her, grabbed her arm making her drop the bags and telling her to run.

"Faster." He hissed. She pushed her legs to go as fast as they possibly could, but she had to keep putting extra effort in considering Scott was holding onto her arm while they ran and he was on the verge of supernatural speed.

She spared a glance behind her and all she could see was a dark figure chasing after them on all fours…meaning it was probably the Alpha. Scott looked back as well and then doubled his speed so that he was almost dragging his sister behind him.

"I-I can't keep running." Scarlett panted. She had good stamina but this was insane and she didn't have werewolf abilities. A look of frustration crossed Scott's face before he ducked behind a car and pulled her along with him.

She caught her breath as she leaned back against the car trying to remain as silent as possible. She looked at Scott and he seemed to have an idea before mouthing 'follow me' to her. He got up and looked around before jumping on one of the cars, making the alarm go off. She wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but she guessed it was so the sound would confuse the Alpha. She followed after her brother, just as he had told her to and she tried not to fall off of the cars.

They jumped off of the line of cars and circled back around, ducking behind another car. Scarlett clutched her chest, still panting but trying to keep the sound quiet. She knew that it would be hard for the Alpha to hear their heartbeats considering the noise the car alarms were making but she didn't want to risk it.

Scarlett's eyes widened at her brother when she heard his phone going off.

"Turn it off!" She hissed at him. They were both going to die. It was inevitable. Scott scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket and turned it off as Scarlett kept looking around frantically. She heard a noise above them and then Scott was yanked up, making her scream.

She jumped up and backed away from the car and glared at Derek, who had slammed Scott against the hood.

"You're dead." Derek said to Scott. What the hell was that? Some kind of training exercise?

"What the hell you idiot?!" She shouted at him. He looked at her and sighed, jumping off the car and walking away. Scarlett ground her teeth together and ran after him with Scott. "Hey, next time you wanna do some wolfy training whatever, make sure I'm not involved. I don't need to keep having these miniature heart attacks when you freaking appear out of nowhere!"

"How am I supposed to avoid that? You're always with Scott and I'm teaching him, like I said I would, of course I never said _when_ I'd be teaching him." Derek said calmly, without looking at either McCall.

"You scared the crap out of us!" It was Scott's turn to shout at Derek.

"Not yet."

"O-okay but I was fast right?"

"Correction Scotty, _we_ were fast. Weren't we?" Scarlett asked with a confused look.

"Not fast enough."

"B-but the car alarm thing, that was smart…right?"

"'Till your phone rang." Scarlett glared at her brother when Derek said that. If that had been the real deal then they both could've been dead. Because of Scott's _phone_.

"But that was- I mean, would you just stop?!" Scott yelled causing Derek and Scarlett to stop and look at him. "What happened the other night…Stiles' dad getting hurt? That was _my _fault! I should've been there to do something. I need you to teach me how to control this."

"Look, I am what I am because of birth. You were bitten. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time…I don't even know if I _can_ teach you."

"What do I have to do?" Scott begged.

"You have to get rid of distractions." Derek glanced at Scarlett when he said that and she looked down at her feet. She could only take that look as one thing: she was a distraction to Derek, a burden on him. There was something about that that made her feel really shitty. She didn't want to be a distraction…distractions got you killed. She didn't want Derek to get killed because of her.

Derek snatched Scott's phone out of his hand and shoved it in his face. "You see this? This is why I caught you." The screen said that he had a missed call from Allison. Of course that's what it was. "You want me to teach you? Get rid of her."

Scarlett didn't know what to do in this situation because she felt that Derek wasn't just talking about Scott getting rid of Allison…she felt like he was talking about himself getting rid of her as well. It's not as if they were dating or anything, they were just friends. Was that really so bad? Did he really feel like he couldn't be around her anymore? Oh God, was she driving him away? It wouldn't be completely unreasonable, what with all the emotional crap that she dumped on him.

"Just because of her family?" Scott's voice pulled Scarlett out of her thoughts. Derek made a gesture towards Scott's phone before he launched it against a wall making Scarlett cover her mouth when she gasped. Scott's jaw dropped and he looked at Derek as though he was crazy, which might've been true at that point.

"You getting angry? That's your first lesson. You wanna learn how to control this, how to shift? You do it through anger. By tapping into a primal, animal rage. You can't _do_ that with her around!"

"I can get angry." Scott's voice was low and Scarlett took a slight, unnoticeable step backwards.

"Not angry enough!" Derek shouted back at him. "This is the only way that I can teach you. Now, can you stay away from her? At least until after the full moon?"

"If that's what it takes…"

"Do you _want_ to live?!" Scarlett shrank back at the harshness in Derek's voice. She knew that it wasn't directed at her and he was only trying to help Scott but…it was kinda scary and at the same time, she found it incredibly sexy. "Do you wanna protect your friends? Your sister? Yes or no?"

Scott glanced at Scarlett sidelong before answering. "Yes." Of course he wanted to protect her. Protect everyone. Protect Allison…because she meant everything to him. "If you can teach me…I can stay away from her."

It was all about Allison. It's always all about Allison. Scarlett clenched her fist; she didn't want to be around the two of them when they were having that conversation so she needed an excuse to get out of there.

"I want my tea." She said, walking away from the two of them who gave her strange looks. "I'll walk home!" She called over her shoulder. Who was Scott kidding? He couldn't stay away from Allison. He didn't have it in him. And as for Derek and Scarlett…well, she wasn't sure if she could stay away from him either. _Shit_. She was almost as bad as Scott. It's not as if she needed Derek to breathe, like Scott needed Allison, but she very much enjoyed his company and she didn't want to have to give that up.

* * *

Scarlett walked out of her room in her pyjamas and furry slippers. She yawned and lazily trudged down the hall. She had been getting into bed and then felt the urge to drink some tea to calm herself before she tried to go to sleep.

As she walked she heard Scott's door open and Derek appeared out of it. She stopped and looked at him with one eye open and her mouth turned up in a confused manner. He stopped and gave her a confusing look as well.

She sighed and waved her hand. "I-I'm just gonna stop asking. I fear the answers will get creepier."

Derek looked at her and laughed as she made her way down the stairs. He followed her and as he did he took in her attire which was a loose oversized shirt that had been cut so that it showed off her toned stomach and her bellybutton ring which he hadn't known she had. She was also wearing a pair of black shorts and furry black slippers. Even what she _wore_ seemed to amuse him in some way.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked, feeling compelled to follow her into the kitchen.

"Shouldn't you?" She asked, flipping the light switch. He stood at the entrance and watched her go about making tea. The feeling of him watching her was giving her chills, like always.

"No. And I had to talk to Scott." He answered shortly.

"Yeah, I got that much. Unless the reason you were in his room and always seem to be in his room coming out looking suspicious is because the two of you are gay lovers." Derek said nothing, he just glared at her. She looked back at him and smirked. "And if you are then I have no problem with that. In fact, I've been encouraging Scott to come out for the past few years and I thought about giving up when Allison came along but hey, here you are…"

"You're not funny." Derek said with a straight face although on the inside he was laughing slightly.

"On the contrary Hale, I think I'm hilarious." She replied, being a smartass.

Derek sighed and grinned. "Goodnight Scarlett."

"Wh-" She turned around with her tea in-hand only to find that he was already gone.

* * *

"What if I told you that I was trying to figure this whole thing out and I-I went to Derek for help."

"Help_ and_ advice. Advice that you should be listening to. How's that coming along Scotty?" Scarlett asked patronizingly as she strode into class in the middle of Scott talking to a pissed off-looking Stiles.

"Really well _actually_." Scott said, glaring at her as she walked passed him to her seat.

"Hm…do continue." She said, sitting down and tuning into their conversation.

"If I _was _talking to you I'd say that you're an idiot for trusting him….but obviously, I'm not talking to you." Stiles said, keeping his eyes locked straight ahead of him instead of turning to look at Scott.

The bell rang and they were told to start reading. The three of them were silent for a few minutes before Stiles cracked and turned to Scott.

"Alright, what'd he say?" Scott smiled and Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Some might say you broke too easily Stiles…I'm one of those people." Scarlett whispered to him.

"I can't handle not knowing." He told her honestly before telling Scott to start talking. Scarlett tuned out of the conversation and decided to actually do the reading instead.

Allison had her nose buried in a book as she talked to Lydia and Scarlett about what she'd found out.

"The what now?" Lydia questioned, holding her fork in the air.

"The Beast of Gevaudan." Allison explained again.

"And that is…what, exactly?" Scarlett asked, putting a grape into her mouth.

"Listen," Allison said to both of them, opening to another page of the book that explained about the beast. "A quadruped wolf-like monster…prowling the Auvergne and south Dordogne areas of France in the year seventeen sixty-four to seventeen sixty-seven. La Bête killed over a hundred people, becoming so infamous that the King, Louie the Fifteenth, sent one of his best hunters to try and kill it."

"Boring." Lydia said.

"Lydia!" Scarlett hissed, giving her a look.

"What? It is."

"Carry on Allison, I'm actually finding this interesting." Scarlett said, giving Lydia another pointed look as she said it. Allison smiled and continued reading.

"Even the church declared the monster a messenger of Satan," Scarlett gathered that the monster was most likely a werewolf and she pondered over whether she thought they were messengers of Satan. Scott definitely wasn't and Derek well…not him either. He was at least trying to help Scott. Sure, he scared the hell out of him when he wanted to but Scarlett had seen glimpses of another side of Derek, a softer side and she was determined to make it show through more. But, then there was the Alpha…messenger of Satan? She was going to go with yes.

"Hm…" Lydia pretended to be thinking it over before concluding that it was still boring.

"Crypto-zoologists believed it could have been a subspecies of hoofed predator, possibly a mesonychid-"

"Slipping into a coma…"

"Stop being so rude Lyds." Scarlett scolded her.

Allison ignored Lydia and kept reading. "While others believed it was a powerful sorcerer who could shape-shift into a man-eating monster."

"And how does this have anything to do with your family?" Lydia asked in a bored tone. Scarlett's eyes widened a fraction. Why was Allison doing family research all of a sudden? She had a bad feeling about it…like, the feeling someone had maybe _told_ Allison to start all of this. Maybe that hunter that attacked Derek. Scarlett still wasn't sure of her name but she was certain she was a part of Allison's family. Maybe she was trying to get Allison to find out about them being werewolf hunters and that, well that was just bad news. Especially for Scott.

"This does. It is believed that La Bête was trapped and killed by a renowned hunter that claimed his wife and four children were the first to fall prey to the creature…" Both Lydia and Scarlett gave Allison expectant looks. "His name was Argent." _Crap_.

"So your ancestors killed a big wolf, so what?"

"Not just a big wolf," Allison flipped to another page in the book, flipping it around for Scarlett and Lydia to see. "Take a look at this. What does it look like to you?"

Both girls became silent as they took in the picture of a big, black wolf-like beast with glowing red eyes. They both recognised it. Lydia from when something akin to it jumped on her car and Scarlett from when the Alpha had been in the video store.

"Guys…Guys?" Allison's voice made the two girls snap out of their trance-like state. Although Scarlett was still freaking out inside she tried to keep a calm face.

"It looks…like a _big wolf_." Lydia said in a snarky tone.

"What about you Scar?" Scarlett looked into Allison's eyes.

"What?"

"I mean, you have this look like you…recognise it almost." Allison said warily.

"No. No, I don't recognise it…I just, I probably saw something like it in one of Stiles' books. You know, he's actually really into all that mythology stuff." Scarlett had panicked so her lie was pretty shit but Allison seemed to buy it, relieving Scarlett.

"See you in History." Lydia winked at them both before gathering her stuff and strutting out.

"What she said." Scarlett said, offering Allison a smile before gathering her things as well and walking out of the cafeteria to go do some studying.

* * *

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at Scott and Allison as they talked. It was so painfully obvious that Scott was trying and failing to avoid her. Even though their voices were just above a whisper, she could hear Allison telling him to go to her place to study that night.

She shared a look with Stiles who was sitting next to her. Both of their faces held doubt in them. How the hell was Scott going to get out of that one? He had to meet Derek tonight so he couldn't go to Allison's but on the other hand, what excuse was he supposed to use to explain why he couldn't study with her?

That was one of the rare moments those days that Scarlett actually felt bad for Scott. She knew that he was trying to stay away from Allison so he could learn how to control the shift and everything and she understood how hard that was for him so she was proud of him for at least trying.

"Alright, settle down." Coach said, even though it was only Scott and Allison talking. "Let's start with a brief summary of last night's reading."

A few people's hands went up but Scarlett kept hers down. She had done the reading but she wasn't too keen on doing a summary on it out loud. She was much better at writing it down.

"Put your hand down Greenberg, everybody knows you did the reading. How about uh…McCall." Scarlett's eyes snapped up and she shared a confused look with Scott.

"Which McCall Coach?" Scarlett asked.

"Oh sorry, let me clarify, Male McCall." Scarlett sighed in relief and she hoped for Scott's sake he did the reading. "The reading, Male McCall."

"L-last night's reading?" Scott stammered.

"No, how about the reading of the Gettysburg Address?" There was laughter from a few of the students in the class and Scarlett herself hid her mouth behind her hand.

"The what?" Scott asked.

"That was sarcasm. You familiar with the term _sarcasm_, McCall?"

"Uh, very." Scott said, glancing back at Stiles and Scarlett who both held their hands up in mock-defence.

"Did you do the reading or not?" Coach asked.

"Uh…I think I forgot." Scarlett mentally slow clapped at her brother's stupidity.

"Nice work McCall. It's not like you're averaging a 'D' in this class. C'mon buddy, you know I can't keep you on the team if you have a 'D'. How about you summarise the previous night's reading?" Scott shook his head and Scarlett could hear a faint beeping noise. She turned to Stiles and he held up a phone with the numbers on it going higher. "No? How about you summarise anything you've ever read? In your entire life!"

The beeping seemed to be getting faster the more frustrated Scott got.

"U-uh…"

"A blog? Uh, how about the back of a cereal box? No? How about the adults only warning from your favourite website you visit every night? Anything?" Scarlett watched as Scott sank further into his chair, breathing heavily, trying to control his heart rate. She had to admit that even though Coach was a crazy bastard, it was a little unfair of him to do that to Scott. "Thank you, McCall, thank you." Coach started hitting the desk and his voice was raised as he shouted at Scott. "Thank you for extinguishing any last…flicker of hope I had for your generation! You just blew it for everybody! Thanks. Next practice you can start with suicide runs. Unless that's too much reading."

Scarlett was convinced that Scott was going to shift but he didn't. She looked at Stiles as the beeping started to slow down and they shared an impressed look for Scott. He had controlled it. The two of them looked over at Scott and noticed him holding Allison's hand behind him. As much as her brother frustrated her with all of his Allison-loving...she had to admit that that was sweet.

"It's her. It's Allison." Stiles concluded as the three of them walked out of class.

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"Remember what you told me about the night of the full moon? You were thinking about her, right? About…protecting her."

"Okay…?"

"Remember the night of the first lacrosse game? You said you could hear her voice out on the field."

"Yeah, I did."

"So that's what brought you back so you could score. And then after the game in the locker room, you didn't kill her! At least not like how you were trying to kill me…She brings you back." Stiles explained.

"N-no, no, no. It's not always true because literally every time I'm kissing her or touching her…"

"No, that's not the same."

"And, nor do we want to hear about what you and Allison get up to in the dark." Scarlett added in for good measure.

"That too." Stiles agreed. "When you're doing that, you're just another hormonal teenager thinking about sex, you know?" By the smile on Scott's face, Scarlett could tell he was thinking about sex and apparently so could Stiles. "You're thinking about sex right now, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Scott said with another smile. Scarlett made very apparent gagging noises.

"Look, back in the classroom, when she was holding your hand, that was different, okay? I don't think she makes you weak…I-I think she actually gives you control, she's more like an anchor."

"You mean because I love her." Scott said simply before realising what he's actually said. "Did I just say that?"

"Yes, you just said that."

"Aww, puppy love keeps Scotty human." Scarlett cooed. She expected a glare from Scott but it never came. Instead he looked happier.

"I love her."

"That's great. Now moving on-"

"N-o, no, no. Really, I-I think I'm totally in love with her."

"And that's…beautiful. Now, before you go off and write a sonnet, can we figure this out, please? Because you obviously can't be around her all the time."

Scarlett elbowed Stiles, earning a small glare from him. "Let him have his moment."

"No, he's right. What do I do?" Scott asked, snapping out of his dreamy state.

Stiles sighed. "I don't know…yet." He looked around for a second before getting a look on his face that the twins knew all too well.

"Oh no, you're getting an idea aren't you?"

"Yeah." Stiles said with a small smirk.

"Is this idea gonna get me in trouble?"

"Maybe."

"Is this idea gonna cause me physical pain?"

"Yeah, definitely." Stiles said with a nod. "Come on."

"Yeah…I'm gonna sit this one out." Scarlett said.

"You sure? It could be fun to watch…" Stiles tried to persuade her.

"Nah, I'm good. I have to be at work soon anyway." She gave them a thumbs up and the two boys walked away, leaving Scarlett alone with her confused thoughts.

* * *

Scarlett rummaged through her bag for her key-ring that held her car keys and her house keys but it was nowhere to be found. _Shit_. She must've left them in the house because Scott was driving that morning. She groaned. She was going to have to walk to the animal clinic and get Scott's keys.

"Everything okay Scar?" Mary asked, putting on her jacket. Scarlett looked up and gave her a weak smile.

"Yeah, no, it's fine. I'm just an idiot and I forgot my keys." She explained with a slight laugh.

"Your car keys?"

"No, house keys."

"Oh, if it was your car keys then I would've happily given you a ride home sugar but I'm no locksmith. Sorry. Unless you need a ride somewhere else? You want me to take you to the hospital to get your mom's keys?" Mary asked sincerely.

"Actually I was just going to walk to the animal clinic and get Scott's." Scarlett shrugged.

Mary put her hands on her hips and gave Scarlett a stern look. "At this time of night? I certainly do not think so, missy. C'mon, I'll take you over there."

"Mary, it's fine, you don't have to. I'm perfectly capable of walking."

"Uh-uh. No way am I gonna let you walk outta here alone. I really don't wanna hear about you turning up dead when I could've easily done something to prevent it." Mary said, leading the way to her car.

"Thanks Mary. But, I'm sure I wouldn't have been killed." Scarlett said, getting into the car.

"You can't ever be too careful sweet pea."

They talked mindlessly and laughed about stupid things for the short ride to the clinic. When they got there, Scarlett thanked Mary and walked in as Mary drove away.

The smell of animals hit Scarlett like a ton of bricks when she made her way further into the clinic. It took a minute to adjust to the smell because she wasn't used to it but after that she was fine.

"Scott?" She called out. She thought she heard a noise coming from the back room but she ignored it. "Scott! You in here?" She cautiously made her way towards the front desk, opening the small gate to get through. "Dr Deaton?"

No one was answering back and she became worried because they should both be here. She heard what sounded like a groan of pain and she rushed into the room, eyes widening at the sight.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" She asked. Scott looked up from cleaning Dr Deaton's wounds that covered his face and Derek stopped his pacing to look at her.

"Scar? The hell are you doing here?" Scott queried.

"Uh…I need your keys." She said finally, still confused by what was going on.

"Well, where's yours?"

"I left them at home. Where else would they be? Just, can I have the keys please?" She held her hand out, expecting him to hand the keys over.

Scott shook his head but fished the keys out of his pocket. He unhooked the house ones and gave them to her.

"Thank you. Now, can you explain what's going on?"

"Derek beat up Deaton." Scott said simply. Scarlett sighed and glanced at Derek who was already looking at her.

"I should've guessed as much..."

"Do you even have a plan?" Derek had a sudden outburst, walking up to Scott.

"Just…give me an hour." Scott said, confusing Scarlett further. Was she missing something…again?

"Then what?"

"Meet me at the school. In the parking lot."

"Wait, I thought you were supposed to be meeting Allison in an hour?" Scarlett asked. She was going to be pissed if he was standing her up because Allison didn't deserve that and he said he would go.

"What?" Derek growled. Scott glared at his sister and she shrugged.

"You said you would go. You can't just stand her up. That's called a dick move, Scott. Call her. Call her right now and tell her you can't go."

"Why?"

"Why?_ Why_? Because being stood up sucks. Trust me, I know. So, if you don't want her to think you're a complete douchebag…call her."

"I don't have a phone, remember?" Scott asked, glaring at Derek.

"Well then I'll call her." Scarlett said, taking her phone out of her bag. Before she could unlock it Scott grabbed it out of her hand. "Hey!"

"You can't call her! I-I'll figure something out. But you aren't going to be the one to tell her." Scott said sternly.

"Whatever. I'm going home." She snatched her phone back and threw it in her bag before heading out of the room.

Derek walked out after her because he had an hour to kill. She heard him following and when she was outside she turned to face him.

"Why'd you beat up Deaton? What'd he ever do wrong?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. He watched her intensely for a minute before answering her question.

"I have reason to believe he's the Alpha." Derek told her vaguely, heading towards his car.

Scarlett let out a small laugh. "Dr Deaton? The Alpha? That's…that's pretty hard to believe. I mean, the guy's a veterinarian."

"So?"

"_So_, he's like one of the nicest people in Beacon Hills. There is no way he's the one committing all these murders." She shrugged and started to walk the opposite way.

"Where are you going?" She heard Derek call out behind her. She stopped and gave him an amused look.

"Home."

"And your walking? By yourself?" He asked, giving her an incredulous look. Why was it so bad if she wanted to walk anywhere? She knew how to take care of herself, besides the walk wasn't that long anyway.

"Do you have a problem with that Hale?"

Despite how angry he was he couldn't help but laugh slightly at her. "Yeah, I do. Now get in."

Scarlett sighed and walked back to Derek's car, getting in as he did. He pulled out of the parking lot and he decided to ask her what the whole Allison thing was about.

"What Allison thing?" She asked.

"You get pissed whenever Scott hangs out with Allison and now you're getting pissed because he's _not _going to hang out with Allison."

"Oh. It's just, well…Scott kinda confessed his love for her today to me and Stiles and that's a really big deal because Scott's never been in love and-"

"Have you?" He interrupted. He wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them. That was only supposed to be a question in his head, not aloud.

"What?" She asked, looking at him strangely.

Oh well, no point in lying. "Been in love."

Scarlett bit her lip and pondered the question for a second because one, she was confused as to why he was asking and two, because she didn't really know the answer.

"I used to think so. I was convinced that I was in love with Jackson but…" She noticed Derek's grip tighten on the steering wheel and she narrowed her eyes before talking again. "But, as it turns out, I wasn't. I wanted to be, I guess. Everyone always said we were the perfect couple and I very stupidly believed them. After a while, I found out he was a dick and I broke up with him and…why am I telling you all of this?"

"Jackson? _Really_?" Derek asked. He could never picture them together. That guy was scum of the earth and not that Derek thought any better of himself but he definitely thought better of Scarlett. And she was way too good for either of them.

"I didn't know any better!" She said with a laugh. _And apparently I still didn't know any better considering I'm totally crushing on you. _Her eyes widened slightly as she admitted it to herself. She was totally crushing on Derek Hale. That was bad. Very bad. And at the same time, she didn't care. He was dangerous and exciting and everything she wanted. But…he was a werewolf. Who, didn't want distractions…Well shit.

"Scarlett?" Her eyes snapped to him.

"Yeah?"

"We're here." He said, giving her another amused look.

"Well that was quick." She said quietly, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"I drive fast."

"I've noticed." She laughed, opening the door while Derek stayed put. She knew she was taking a risk but she did it anyway, she turned and he raised a brow at her.

"You know, you could always just stick around if you only have an hour…and then when you go to the school you can take me with you."

"You're not coming to the school." He said sternly. No freaking way was he going to put her in danger.

"Yes, I am." She countered. "If something's happening then yeah, I'm gonna be there. If I'm not then who's going to stop you from freaking killing my brother when he gets annoying?"

"I'm not gonna kill Scott so you have no reason to go."

"I'm going."

"No. You're not."

"Look, we could sit here and argue or you could come keep me company while I wait for an hour to go meet Scott. Because I am going, whether you take me or I walk. Your choice." She said with a bittersweet smile.

Derek grit his teeth and looked out the window before unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Scarlett smiled victoriously when he wasn't looking.

She walked up to the front door and Derek followed with his jaw clenched. Why? Why had he let her do this? He guaranteed that something bad was going to end up happening at the school and he was taking her along which was really fucking stupid of him to do.

"Oh don't be such a sour-wolf Derek." She said as she looked at him. He glared at her and they both walked inside and up to Scarlett's room. She didn't realise until they were actually in her room how nervous she was. It's not like they hadn't been alone before, why the hell was she getting like that?

Derek watched as she threw her bag on the floor of her insanely tidy bedroom. He'd never been in there before and he didn't know what to expect. It was just a normal room but it was so…her. She'd decorated it to reflect herself. And, it also smelled like her, which was good because she smelled nice. Some kind of mix between vanilla and cocoa butter.

"So, I'm gonna get changed quickly and you, well you can just sit or whatever." She went about gathering a new outfit and then she turned back to Derek who was still standing by the door. "Yeah, uh Derek…you're making me nervous please just sit the hell down."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to her bed, taking a seat. "Better?"

"Much." She wasn't sure why but she always got nervous when people hovered or paced around her. She was strange like that. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

Derek scanned the room again, taking everything in. Her black and red bedspread, the walls that were covered in pictures of different cities and places, the canvas of Marilyn Monroe that hung above her bed, her bookshelf which was lined with books, the mirror on her vanity that was outlined with pictures of her with family and friends when she was younger and ones that looked recent…there was even a picture of her and Jackson together which made Derek's blood boil. He moved his gaze from that picture to the one framed picture of Scarlett, Scott and Melissa. They were all hugging each other and smiling, looking like a family. Derek smiled sadly. He used to have pictures like that. Of course, they were all gone now. He didn't have a family anymore. He cleared his head of those depressing thoughts and noticed a section of her wall that was covered in pictures that weren't of people but rather nature and other things, like…_she_ had been the one who took them. He got up and went closer to them, admiring how good they were.

"Those are from when I was really into photography." He turned at the sound of her voice and saw her changed and smiling.

"You took all of these?"

"Yeah. For some reason I thought I was a brilliant photographer." She said with a laugh, taking a seat on her desk chair.

"No…they're really good." He complimented, looking back at her. She blushed and he grinned. He couldn't get over how she was even more beautiful when she blushed.

"Well thanks Hale." She winked at him and he went to sit on her bed again. "Alright so you know another hobby of mine, well ex-hobby, but still, let's hear one of yours."

Derek gave her a blank look.

"Seriously? Nothing at all? Ever?"

"Does basketball count?" He asked.

"Of course it does. When did you do that?"

"When I was still in high school." A look of sadness crossed his face and Scarlett instantly felt bad. "Before the fire."

"Okay...um, where were you before you came back to Beacon?" She had always been curious about that but she never had time to ask.

"New York." He said simply.

"Oh you are so taking me there when all of this Alpha crap blows over." She said, getting excited. New York was at the top of her list of places she wanted to go to. In fact, she wanted to live there when she moved away from Beacon Hills.

"I don't know if this is ever just gonna…blow over." Derek told her truthfully. He would happily take her to New York but that was if they both made it out alive.

"Oh Hale, ever the optimist." She said sarcastically. There was no way in hell she wasn't getting out of this town and seeing the world. No freaking werewolf shit was going to get in the way of that. She refused to let that happen.

"I'm just being realistic." He countered.

"That might be realistic for you…but it isn't for me." She shrugged, casting her gaze downwards, not wanting to meet his eyes.

She didn't know how wrong she was. She was a part of this…as much as Scott was a part of it and as much as Derek hated that fact, it was the truth. He looked at her as she looked down and he just thought about how beautiful she was. How much he felt the need to protect and watch over her. How much he never wanted to see her get hurt.

"Oh my God." She gasped, looking at him again.

"What is it?" He asked, snapping out of his thoughts and becoming more alert.

"I'm being completely rude. Did you want anything? Like a drink?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks." On the inside, that wasn't true. He did want something. And that something was not a drink. That something was her. He wanted Scarlett. And he couldn't have her. He would just end up messing up her life even more and he was too dangerous for her.

"Hey did you know that Allison has been looking into her family history?" Scarlett asked out of the blue. Derek's eyes snapped up to hers.

"No. Why?"

"I don't know…she said it was for a project or something but I have a feeling someone steered her in that direction."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because today at lunch she was telling Lydia and I all about the man-eating monster that terrorized a place in France and how her ancestor killed it. And also, she showed us a picture in a book and I swear I thought I was looking at the Alpha." Scarlett told him solemnly.

"It was probably Kate." Derek said, not looking at her.

"Who now?"

"Kate Argent. That hunter from the other day."

"That was my guess! So her name's Kate…I'm pretty sure she's Allison's aunt."

"Yeah…she is. What time is it?" Derek asked. Scarlett turned around and grabbed her phone off of the desk.

"Probably time for us to go." She said, getting up and heading to her closet to get a jacket.

Derek pulled into the school parking lot, glancing at Stiles and Scott who were already there. He cut the engine of the car and looked at Scarlett.

"You sure you wanna be here?" He asked, still not keen on letting her stick around.

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen while I've got you around?" She shrugged, giving him a dazzling smile before hopping out of the car. Derek smirked and then the smirk fell when he realised that she was putting her faith in him. She was trusting that he would protect her. He sat there for another minute before deciding that he would do exactly that. He would protect her, no matter what.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked his sister when she got out of the car.

"If Stiles is here then why can't I be?" She asked.

"Because…"Scott struggled for an answer so he just gave up and Scarlett smirked. "Where's my boss?" He asked Derek.

"In the back." He pulled his seat forward and the boys looked in at a tied up and unconscious Dr Deaton squashed in the back seat. Against Scarlett's protest Derek had insisted that they go and retrieve an unconscious Deaton from the animal clinic.

"He looks comfortable." Stiles said sarcastically before following Scott.

"Wh-Hey!" Derek called out after them causing the boys to stop. "What're you doing?"

"You said I was linked with the Alpha…I'm gonna see if you're right." Scott said, walking up to the school with Stiles in tow.

"What are you talking about? What is he talking about?" Scarlett asked Derek.

"I have no idea." Derek shrugged, leaning against the car.

"So, the other day, before Kate barged in all crazy you were gonna tell me about the tattoo. Feel free to carry on with that." Scarlett said, with a small smile. Derek sighed but then smiled.

"The triskelion or the three connected spirals," He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes murmuring a small 'shut up.' "It represents different things to different people. Like; mother, father and child or past, present and future."

"Okay…so what does it represent for you?"

"Alpha, Beta and Omega. It's a reminder that while we can rise we can also fall. Like an omega becoming an alpha or an alpha falling to an omega status." He explained.

"That was…_deep_. And now I may need to rethink my tattoo ideas because none of them are that meaningful." Scarlett said. Derek just laughed at her again, shaking his head. He stopped abruptly when they both heard a screeching sound over the speakers.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Derek said flatly, closing his eyes and then opening them looking completely unamused.

"I-is that _Scott_?" Scarlett asked, scrunching her face up at the noise. Derek nodded solemnly. Oh, was there any hope for her brother?

Derek and Scarlett both started looking around with worried faces as the next sound to come through the speakers was a very deep and loud growl. Actually, Scarlett thought it was a _howl_.

"I'm gonna kill both of you!" Derek shouted, pointing a finger at Scott and Stiles when they came back out of the school. "The hell was that? What, are you trying to attract the entire state to the school?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it would be that loud." Scott said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was loud…and it was _awesome_." Stiles said, his voice going up an octave. Scarlett rolled her eyes. Of course he would think it was awesome.

"Shut up." Derek said.

"Don't be such a sour-wolf."

"What'd you do with him?" Scott asked, looking around Derek and Scarlett to the car.

"What?" Derek asked. He turned around and so did Scarlett and they both found the door open, the seat pushed forward and Dr Deaton gone.

"I take it back. Maybe he is the Alpha after all." Scarlett said in a quiet voice.

"I didn't do anything." Derek said, looking confused right before something stabbed him in the back, lifting him off the ground causing blood to pour out his mouth and a blood curdling scream to erupt from Scarlett. The Alpha growled and threw Derek against a brick wall.

Stiles grabbed Scarlett's arm and yanked her with him as he and Scott bolted towards the school. She couldn't think about anything else other than what had just happened to Derek.

"Derek." She gasped, yanking her arm out of Stiles' grip and running in the direction of Derek instead. The boys called after her but she didn't listen because she blocked them out. All that was going through her mind was getting to Derek. She thought that he might be dead but she wouldn't believe it.

She ran and fell to her knees over Derek's body. He wasn't moving and there was still blood coming out of his mouth along with his eyes still being open.

"Oh God. Oh God. Oh God." She sobbed, not knowing what to do. "Shit. Shit. Shit." She looked back to where the Alpha had been but it wasn't there anymore and she couldn't see Scott and Stiles so they must've made it inside.

"You are not dead." She said sternly, flipping Derek over so he was on his back. He wasn't breathing, which wasn't a good sign. "You should be healing Derek." She murmured to him, although it was more like to herself. "Wake _up_. Just wake up you idiot." The hot tears kept rolling down her cheeks and she felt like she was the one who couldn't breathe anymore. She couldn't lose him. That just couldn't happen. It wasn't supposed to happen. She needed him. He couldn't just leave her like that. He had to heal.

She took his hand, which was freezing cold and held it. She brought it to her lips and she kissed it repeatedly. It wasn't going to do anything but it was all she could do.

After sitting there for a few more minutes, sobbing quietly she heard a noise. Looking around she couldn't see anything and then she heard another noise, like a choking sound and it was coming from Derek.

"Derek?" She whispered. She moved over him so that she was holding the side of his face and using her thumb to stroke it. His eyes widened and he started coughing up more blood, making her move back slightly and smile brighter than she ever had. "Oh my God. You're alive."

He tried to sit up but he couldn't so she helped him. She put both hands on the sides of his face and looked at him wide eyed.

"You're alive." She repeated. He nodded and she wiped some of the blood away from his mouth before smashing her lips against his. The taste of blood was horrible but the feel of his lips against hers was amazing because, well, he wasn't dead.

"W-where is-is h-he?" He spluttered out. She shook her head in reply.

"Let's just get the hell out of here before he comes back." She said, helping him to his feet and letting him lean all of his weight on her. She whipped her head around checking for any sign of the Alpha before she moved as fast as she could, while practically carrying Derek, to his car. She got him into the passenger's side and then she ran around and got into the driver's seat.

"Keys, keys, keys. Derek, where's the keys?" He slowly moved and got them out of his pocket, handing them to her. She started the car and when the headlights came on she saw the Alpha coming towards them. "Oh shit!" She shouted, putting the car in reverse and driving backwards as fast as possible before turning it around and more or less flying out of the parking lot and far away from the school.

"Wh-what about Sc-Scott?" Derek questioned, still having trouble breathing properly.

"They got into the school…they're smart, they'll figure something out. My main priority right now, is fixing you and making sure you don't die."

"Why do you have all this stuff anyway?" Derek asked as Scarlett finished cleaning all of his wounds. They were in her room, surrounded by a bunch of medical supplies.

"My mom's a nurse…why do you _think_ I have all of this?" She seemed to be amused by his question.

"You'd be good at that. I feel a lot fucking better than I did twenty minutes ago." Derek said with a smirk.

"I'd be good as a nurse?" She asked and he nodded. "Hm…this is already healing." Her hands grazed across his bare back, looking at the now tiny wounds that the Alpha's claws had made.

Her feather-light touch made him tense slightly but then he relaxed into it…enjoying it, even.

She had to admit, she enjoyed fixing him up and she also enjoyed the feeling of his skin underneath her fingertips. It was so warm and no longer cold like it had been before they got there. She felt him relax into her touch as she traced his tattoo again. _God,_ he was beautiful. She wondered if he ever thought that about her…was he physically attracted to her as much as she was to him? There was a few times where she thought she saw a hint of desire in his eyes when he looked at her but she would often just brush it off because she was probably imagining it. Maybe she could test the theory…

Making a bold move, she moved around Derek so that she could straddle his lap, surprising him. His hands immediately moved to her hips, pulling her a little bit closer. She smirked and pressed her lips to his. His grip on her tightened and she moaned softly. He took that opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, eliciting another small moan from Scarlett. Her tongue put up a fight for dominance but he eventually won and he let his tongue explore her mouth while her hands moved from his shoulders into his hair, tugging it ever so slightly. It was then his turn to moan and the sound turned her on further. Okay, so maybe he was physically attracted to her.

They sat like that, making out for a few more minutes before Scarlett pulled away. Both of them were breathing heavily and their breaths were mingling with each other.

"You should…probably get some sleep." She breathed. That seemed to snap Derek out of his trance of being caught up in her and he became alert again. He cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah. I should." She moved off of him and he was glad that that hadn't gone any further.

"I don't feel comfortable with you driving yourself home so I'll drive." Scarlett said, waiting until Derek put his shirt back on before walking out of the room.

"I'll be fine. Besides, how are you supposed to get home?" He questioned following her down the stairs.

"I'll walk." She shrugged. He went to protest but she held up his keys. "Oh, I'm sorry _who _has the keys?"

Scarlett brought the Camaro to a halt in front of the Hale House and cut the engine before getting out of the car. Derek gave her a questioning look and he got out as well.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Scarlett looked at him, confused by his sudden outburst. "Get back in the car."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're driving back to your house." He said sternly.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I already told you that I'm fine walking home."

"You won't be fine when you've become the Alpha's chew toy."

"I'm pretty sure he's a little too preoccupied terrorising Scott and Stiles to worry about coming after me. Did you forget that or did you just hit your head so hard you got amnesia?" Scarlett asked sassily, putting her hands on her hips.

Derek grit his teeth and walked towards her, speaking in a low voice that held authority. "Get in the car Scarlett and drive home." She shrunk back a little but her face remained calm, hiding the hissy fit she was throwing internally. Derek gave her an expectant look, motioning for her to get in the car and when she didn't he clenched his jaw tightly. She was pissing him off. He was trying to keep her safe the best he could and she was being a brat.

Scarlett stepped back slightly and folded her arms across her chest. "Why do you even care?"

Well that was the million dollar question. Why _did_ he care? She was just a girl. A girl he hardly knew. And despite them hardly knowing each other, she knew how to push his buttons already. She was someone that would piss him off easily. And at the same time, she could make him happy just by talking. And him being happy…was very rare. He was intrigued by her and all of her quirks, how she cared so much…about him, about everything really. She was stubborn, feisty, and hell, sometimes she was even funny. Her smile was one of the most glorious things that he'd ever seen and there was a light that shined from within her. She was pure and sweet, the complete opposite of Derek. Don't people always say opposites attract? Well, that was definitely true. He was attracted to her, more than he'd care to admit and he had this insane need to protect her and be possessive over her and he needed to have her. He was certain of that and one other thing, Scarlett would be the death of him.

All of a sudden he felt spontaneous and he grabbed the sides of her face in his hands and connected their lips. It took Scarlett completely by surprise, not only because she wasn't expecting it but also because of the sheer passion Derek was putting into the kiss. She wasn't sure how to react so she stood there with her hands by her side for a moment before actually returning the kiss. She put an equal amount of passion into it and she grabbed his leather jacket, bringing him closer to her. His hands wove themselves into her wavy locks, holding on tightly.

The kiss was different from the others, similar to the one they shared back at Scarlett's house but also different to that as well. This one was needier and rougher and Scarlett loved it. She might even go as far as saying that she felt sparks.

Derek's hands untangled from her hair and were soon on her waist, pushing her against the car while her hands kept clawing at his jacket. The height difference was pissing him off slightly so he sorted that out by grabbing the backs of her thighs and lifting her up, earning a gasp from her, and pinning her hips to the car with his as she locked her legs around him.

The two of them could only think about each other, craving more skin to skin contact. Derek's mouth moved down to her neck; kissing, sucking, biting. Scarlett threw her head back at the sensation. She let out a small whimper when he nipped at the skin of her collarbone and the crook of her neck. The noise spurred him on further and he did that repeatedly, leaving marks on her until she pulled his face up to hers again and she kissed him.

"Why are we still standing out here?" Scarlett breathed out, in the process of trying to get Derek's jacket off.

He looked at her with lust-filled eyes. "I have no idea."

Somehow, they managed to make it into the house with Derek still carrying Scarlett while they kissed and pulled at each other's clothes. The first thing to go was Derek's leather jacket, it was tossed carelessly onto the floor, followed by Scarlett's jacket. They made it up the stairs and into the room that Derek slept in, kicking their shoes off in the process. There wasn't very much in the room, just a mattress and a sheet but at that point it was more than enough for them.

Without any hesitation, Derek threw Scarlett down onto the mattress and he hovered over her, continuing his assault on her neck, loving the moans he was eliciting from her. Scarlett started pulling at his shirt and when she couldn't get it off, he sat back and pulled it off for her. She took a minute to appreciate his gorgeous chiselled body and decided that he could pass for a Grecian God. He watched her bite her lip while looking at him and he smirked, leaning back over her, kissing her swollen lips and running his hands all over her. Needing to feel more of her soft skin he quite literally ripped her shirt off and threw it somewhere. Scarlett really liked that shirt and she would've complained but all she could do was moan at the feeling of Derek's hands trailing down her sides and across her toned stomach. His hands left a burning trail everywhere he touched her and when he got to the button on her jeans he wasted no time in undoing it and pulling them down her legs. He immediately started caressing her legs and then moving to her inner thighs where his touch became gentler. He made a trail of wet kisses up her stomach and to the tops of her breasts, where he left marks as well. He made to take off her bra but she stopped him.

"Not until you get rid of your jeans." She more or less panted. He rolled his eyes but undid his jeans and started taking them off. Scarlett helped by pushing them completely off with her feet and as soon as they were in the pile of discarded clothing, he went back to her chest and unhooked her bra, taking it off and throwing it away. It was his turn to admire her. Her breasts were perfect and he stared like a teenage boy, making her blush. He smirked again and began ravishing them making her moan and arch her back up, pushing her chest further out.

While he was doing that, she managed to get his boxers off of him and _holy_ _hell_ he was bigger than she expected…in all honesty though it only served to turn her on even more if that were possible.

Derek's mouth began to move down her body again and when he got to the waistband of her lacy black underwear he stopped and grinned up at her. "I like these." He purred. She whimpered internally at him talking like that, it was probably sexier than what he sounded like making threats and that was hard to beat.

"Be careful with them then." He smirked and took them between his teeth, pulling them down slowly. Scarlett's breathing got even heavier because when her underwear was gone, they were both completely naked. She looked him in the eyes and all she could see was the utter desire within them that mirrored her own. The need for each other was becoming unbearable and she was more than ready.

Derek leaned down again and roughly captured her lips with his, biting her bottom lip and dragging his teeth down it. He wanted her, so badly. She looked so perfect, completely bare beneath him; panting, sweating and waiting. He could tell she was ready. Not only could he smell her arousal but he could also _sense_ the overwhelming sexual desire radiating off of her gorgeous body.

He kissed her again and without warning thrust into her making her cry out. The cry quickly faded into a moan of pure pleasure as she adjusted to him and he started rocking his hips into hers. He pinned her arms above her head as his thrusts got faster and she _just _managed to keep up. They were both moaning messes and she needed to hold onto something so she got her hands out of his grip and clutched his shoulders instead, digging her nails into his skin making him arch his back as she dragged them down, drawing blood. He leaned down to kiss her before moving to her neck again. She had to bite his shoulder to prevent herself from screaming.

When he noticed what she was doing, he stopped kissing her neck and looked into her eyes instead, increasing the pace of his thrusts even more. "Scream." He whispered. And she did. And the sound was beautiful to him because it was a scream of ecstasy, not pain, and she was screaming for _him_. Their breaths were becoming more ragged and his thrust became sloppier. He could tell she was close and he was too. Scarlett grabbed his shoulders even tighter, holding on for dear life as she was almost at her climax. She gripped as tight as she could and then he thrust into her particularly hard and she completely lost it. She came with a scream of his name and that was all he needed to send him over the edge.

He rolled off of her and they lay side by side, trying to catch their breaths, reeling from they're intense orgasms.


	7. Chapter 7: Closer Than Most

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

When the hot-sex haze passed, Derek's eyes snapped open. _What _had he just done? He looked at Scarlett who was staring at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. He felt like even more of a monster than he usually did. He had done exactly what he was trying to avoid doing. He allowed himself to get completely caught up in her. That made him feel weak and Derek didn't like feeling weak. On the contrary though, he had never felt better than when he was making her moan…that part didn't make him feel weak, he actually felt empowered but that wasn't the point. The point was that he shouldn't have just fucked her. That wasn't supposed to happen. How could he have done that to her?

Scarlett lay there, her mind racing about what had just happened. That was…amazing. She was in ecstasy the whole time and she still was. Everything they had just done made her feel more alive than she had ever felt. Every touch had been like a jolt of electricity going through her body and it was complete bliss for her.

Derek quickly got up and started getting dressed again while Scarlett watched with raised brows.

"That was a mistake." He muttered. That was harsh. She wouldn't say it was a mistake. Maybe a little sudden but certainly not a mistake. "Get dressed. I'll be in the car." He said shortly, not even looking at her.

She sucked in a sharp breath, fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and not do anything. She rose from the mattress and went about getting her clothes. Her shirt was torn so there was no possible way for her to wear it. She groaned and stomped out of the room, leaving her shirt behind and shoving her shoes on. When she was downstairs in just her bra, she found her jacket and put it on, zipping it all the way up.

Derek was sitting in the car like he said he would be. He watched Scarlett walk out of the house, looking upset, and he cursed himself for doing that to her. She got into the car and shut the door a little harder than necessary, putting on her seatbelt and staring out of her window, remaining silent. She wasn't in the mood for talking to Derek and he wasn't in the mood for talking either. They didn't even put on any music as they made the journey back to Scarlett's house. There was just an incredibly awkward silence between them.

When they arrived at the house Scarlett spoke, keeping her gaze locked on anything except for Derek. "Is that what you really think?" Her voice was small and broken.

"What?"

"Do you really think it was a mistake?"

He sighed. "Yeah." She looked even more upset and he guessed that she already hated him and that was good. She couldn't be around him anymore. He needed to push her away and the only way to do that was to be even more of a dick, no matter how much it killed him to see her hurting. "Look, I don't what you're getting so worked up about, it was just sex Scarlett. Didn't mean anything."

She slowly turned to look at him with a face full of hurt. She took a shaky breath and grit her teeth. "Wow Derek. Way to make me feel cheap." She scoffed, tears stinging her eyes, and got out of the car, slamming the door and making her way up to the house. He watched her unlock the door as fast as possible and get inside the house without looking back. The look of pure hatred on her face was seared into his brain and he hated himself. He hit the steering wheel, uttering a string of profanities. Why the hell did he have to be such a fuck up?

When Scarlett was in the safety of her room she threw herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. How _dare_ he say that to her? What gave him the right after everything she had done for him?

She supposed she couldn't blame it all on Derek though. It was her fault as well. She shouldn't have been so stupid as to let him screw her. She should've known better. It didn't matter how good it was for her, he obviously didn't feel the same. A horrible thought then crossed her mind, maybe that was all he ever wanted from her. The whole 'being nice' to her thing…Was that just so he could have sex with her and then push her aside like she was nothing? Of course it was. That's all any guy ever wanted from her. _God_, she felt like shit. Why was she so fucking naïve? She had always believed that she was good at reading people but she was so wrong. Why hadn't she seen it before? Of course Derek didn't want a friendship. He didn't have any friends. He was a strict 'no distractions' guy and she was an idiot for ever thinking there was anything else to him. Even Jackson had never made her feel that bad and that was saying something because Jackson had talked her into sleeping with him many, many times when they were dating, even when she knew full well that was all he wanted.

Even though she wanted to cry she decided there was no point. It wasn't going to solve anything. It wasn't going to reverse what happened that night. She had to power through it. To Hell with Derek.

* * *

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Scarlett asked quietly as she stood at Scott's door. He gave her a look that reminded her of a lost puppy and she felt bad so she walked in and sat on his bed next to him.

"I thought you were dead." He said, glancing at her and then back to his hands.

"Well, I'm not. And neither are you and that's a good thing Scotty."

"Where did you go anyway?" He asked. Scarlett panicked for a second before answering.

"I took Derek back home and made sure he was okay and not, you know, _dead_." She shrugged. He nodded, seeming to accept her answer. "You wanna tell me what you're all sad for?"

"Allison…" Of course. "She uh, she said that we should take a-a break."

"Wait, why was Allison there? You know what; just tell me the whole story."

"Whoever the Alpha is texted her, pretending to be me, telling her to go to the school. She showed up with Jackson and Lydia and we were all stuck there. I lied and told them that it was Derek trying to kill us," Scarlett tensed at the mention of Derek. "And when I left them in a classroom Allison freaked…the Alpha i-it forced me to change Scar. It tried to get me to kill all of them…and-and if you had been there then it would've made me try to kill you as well."

"But you didn't Scott. You didn't. You fought it and they are alive because of you." Scarlett placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "What exactly did Allison say?"

"She said not to call her…it-it's not that bad, is it? It just means she wants some separation, right?" He asked, his voice filled with worry.

Scarlett knew exactly what was meant by 'don't call me.' Allison had broken up with him. And as much as she wanted to be angry with her brother, like always, she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. Maybe they would get back together and maybe they wouldn't, but she wasn't going to be the one to tell him that the latter was a possibility.

"Yeah. It's just a break Scott; don't worry too much about it." She gave him a sad smile and got off of the bed, walking back to her own room.

It had been two days since what happened at the school and with her and Derek…and she only just found out what had happened. Scott had been moping and he hadn't been in the mood to talk to anyone, she couldn't blame him though, it sounded like he had a rough time. Scarlett wasn't talking much either. She was still pissed at the fact she went to save Derek instead of sticking with Scott and Stiles. She should've been with them when they went through all of that and she also could've saved herself from being used like she was nothing. It was her own fault for being so stupid but like she had told herself the other day; she was going to power through it.

She went about getting ready for work. Maybe talking to customers and Mary would take her mind off of things.

"Love you mom." She said, kissing Melissa on the cheek and hurrying out the door.

"Love you too Scar!" Melissa called out after her.

Scarlett started the car and turned up the music, singing as loud as she could. Her windows were down slightly so she gained some looks from people walking but she ignored them. The drive to the café wasn't that long but it was long enough for her to end up singing so much that her voice had gone. That wasn't good.

She turned down the music and pulled into the parking lot of _Aroma Dolce_. After cutting the engine she sat there for a minute with her hands on the wheel, staring out of the windshield. No matter how hard she tried to forget about what happened, she couldn't. What Derek had said hurt her and she wasn't just about to get over that…but what was the point of dwelling? She couldn't do anything about it. And she was going to be late. She sighed and got out of the car, heading to the back door of the café.

"Hey there pumpkin," Mary greeted her before checking her watch. "You're a little later than usual, everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Scarlett gave the most convincing smile she could. Mary narrowed her eyes slightly but she could tell that Scarlett didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her so she decided not to push it.

"So, you go back to school on Monday?" Mary asked, following Scarlett to the counter where they served the customers.

"Oh yeah, we do." The entire school had been given two days off so that the police could investigate the murder of one of the janitors. It was all over the news. "I'm kinda glad about it too. School gives me something to do."

"I feel ya sugar. I liked school when I was there." The two of them smiled at each other and then Scarlett started taking orders.

After a few people had been served, Allison appeared in line making Scarlett's blood run cold. Not because of Allison but because of who she was with.

"Hey Scar." Allison greeted.

"Hi Allison…I uh- I heard about everything, how are you doing with that?" Scarlett asked nervously.

Allison seemed to get upset but she plastered a smile on her face anyway. "Um, good, yeah…oh, this is my aunt Kate, by the way." Allison said, changing the subject and gesturing to the woman beside her. The woman who just so happened to be the same Kate that almost killed Derek. "Kate, this is Scarlett…Scott's sister."

"You two have the same adorable brown eyes." Kate said with a smile. She seemed nice but Scarlett could tell it was an act. Even if Scarlett didn't know who she really was, she would still sense something off about her.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Although, I think Scott's are a lot less doe-like." Scarlett said with a small and fake laugh.

"I guess you're right."

"Anyway, what can I get you guys?" She asked, trying to act as normal as possible. She thanked her lucky stars that Kate hadn't seen her that day.

"Two skinny lattes." Kate replied, obviously ordering for Allison as well.

"That all?" They both shook their heads. "Are you sitting in?"

Kate looked at Allison and Allison shook her head slightly. "No, we'll take them to go."

"That's two-sixty." They paid and then Scarlett went about making the coffees, still feeling nervous as hell. When she was finished she handed them over to the two Argents. "It was good meeting you Kate. I'll see you at school then Allison?"

"It was great meeting you sweetie. Say hi to Scott for me." Scarlett nodded, trying to avoid Kate's calculating gaze.

"Yeah, I'll see you at school." Allison said with a sad smile before the two of them left and Scarlett let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She turned and jumped when she saw Mary standing right behind her with a raised brow.

"Awful jumpy there Scar…you sure you're okay?"

"I'm uh, I'm fine." She muttered, turning around again. "I'm fine." Of course she wasn't fine. Not when she had just been in the presence of a psycho who also happened to be her friend's aunt. That wasn't something she was okay with. It kinda freaked her out.

* * *

'_Beacon Hills High School is back open after being close Thursday and Friday. The police search continues for alleged killer Derek Hale…" _

"Nope." Scarlett slammed her hand down on the radio, shutting it up. "Alleged killer my ass." She mumbled. Where the hell was Derek hiding anyway? Not that she cared or anything, she was just curious as to why the cops hadn't found him.

She got up and heard talking in Scott's room so she went across the hall to join in the conversation.

"I've been through a few break-ups myself. Disastrous ones-"

"I don't care about your break-ups mom." Scott interrupted Melissa as Scarlett hugged her.

"Don't be such a dick Scott." Scarlett scolded him, still hugging Melissa who nudged her whispering 'language.' Scarlett shrugged and looked back at Scott.

"I'm gonna get her back." He said, closing the bathroom door. Melissa sighed and looked at Scarlett.

"He's in denial." She whispered. Melissa rolled her eyes and the two of them walked out of Scott's room together, making their way downstairs.

"How are you feeling? You aren't having boy troubles are you?" Melissa asked as Scarlett took a seat at the kitchen table.

Yes. She was most definitely having boy troubles but she didn't want to tell her mom about it. "Nope. I have sworn off boys." Scarlett said, waving her hand for emphasis.

"Are you into girls now?" Melissa asked, looking dead serious before she burst out laughing.

"Maybe." Scarlett shrugged.

"Oh, _really_? That…that's a change-" Melissa started stammering but Scarlett stopped her with a laugh.

"I'm kidding mom."

"Oh!" Melissa put a hand on her chest. "I mean, I would still love you if you did sweetheart…so, pancakes?" She asked with a smile, changing the subject.

"Pancakes." Scarlett agreed with a smile of her own.

Scarlett sped up her pace slightly so she could catch up with Allison and Lydia who were just walking out of class.

"Do you think I made the wrong decision?" She heard Allison ask.

"The wrong decision about what?" She asked, joining in the conversation.

"About-"

"That jacket and that dress? Yes." Lydia said, giving Allison's outfit a look of distaste.

"No, about…Scott." Allison said softly before looking at Scarlett. "I'm sorry, is it weird if I talk about that with you? I mean, Scott is your brother…"

"No, it's fine. Just because he's my brother doesn't mean that I'm gonna stop listening to your problems with him. As long as you keep it away from the bedroom and everything." Scarlett joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She was feeling good, which was unusual. That morning she had sat with her mom and they had eaten pancakes and just talked. There wasn't a lot of time for that anymore considering they were never really home at the same time.

Allison let a small smile grace her lips before Lydia spoke up. "He locked us in a room and left us for dead. He's lucky we aren't pressing charges."

"Look, I know that you think it was a bad move on Scott's part for doing that but I'm sure he had his reasons." Scarlett said, defending her twin even though she knew he wouldn't do the same for her.

"You weren't there Scar. You didn't go through what we did." Lydia said a little rudely. Allison nudged her and gave her a look.

"You're right. I wasn't, but I should've been." Scarlett replied, looking down. "And I also _know _Scott. He had a reason."

"Where were you anyway? I called you like a bunch of times and you didn't pick up…were you _with_ someone?" Lydia asked, getting much too excited. Scarlett sucked in a sharp breath before looking back at her.

"Nope. I was at home, relaxing, and my phone was turned off."

"Hmm…" Lydia didn't look convinced but she didn't have time to say anything else as Allison and Scarlett headed into a class that Lydia wasn't in with them. They had a test to do. A Chemistry test.

They both took their seats and waited for the rest of the students to arrive. Scarlett watched as Scott walked up to Allison and tried to talk to her but was quickly cut off by Mr Harris telling him to sit down.

"You have forty-five minutes to complete the test. Twenty-five percent of your grade can be earned right now by writing your name on the cover of the book." Scarlett wrote her name down before Mr Harris began talking again. "However, as happens every year…one of you will inexplicably fail to put your name on the cover making me question my decision to ever become a teacher. So, let's get the disappointment over with. Begin."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and opened the book, starting on the first question. Were they really calling this a test? It was pretty damn easy. She flew through the questions, answering every single one until she noticed Scott jump up and rush out of class. She scrunched her face up in confusion as did the rest of the class.

"Mr McCall!" Mr Harris shouted after him. Scarlett was torn between answering the last few questions and going after her brother. "Mr Stilinski!" She watched as Stiles ran out as well and she sighed, quickly finishing the questions and picking up her bag, following the two of them out. "Miss McCall!"

"Scott!" Scarlett shouted when she was out of the classroom. She didn't see Scott, she just saw Stiles who turned to look at her. He had his phone to his ear, obviously trying to call Scott. They both looked at each other when they heard his ringtone coming from somewhere nearby.

Without speaking, they followed the noise until they got to the boys' locker room where they heard the shower as well as Scott's phone.

Stiles turned to Scarlett, giving her an uneasy look. "Stay close." He whispered. She moved closer to him as they walked further into the locker room. She knew that they were both thinking the same thing…that Scott had shifted and was now wolfed-out in there. They saw his stuff sitting on one of the benches. Slowly, they crept closer to the showers and sighed with relief when they saw Scott was still human.

"Scotty…" Scarlett said, making her way to Scott who was breathing heavily.

"Scarlett…Stiles…I-I can't." He rasped out.

"What's happening, are you changing?" Stiles asked.

"N-no, I can't…breathe." Scarlett stepped closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders as he started to fall.

"Hey, hey…you can. You _can _breathe." She said reassuringly. He just kept shaking his head until Stiles intervened.

"Here, give him this." He said, handing her Scott's inhaler. She was confused but she didn't question it, she just gave the inhaler to Scott. He used it and then his breathing was back to normal.

"I was having an asthma attack?" He asked, standing up straighter. Scarlett took a step back.

"I thought you didn't get those anymore?"

"No, he was having a panic attack but thinking you were having an asthma attack actually stopped the panic attack…irony." Stiles said.

"How'd you know to do that?" Scott questioned.

"I used to get them after my mom died…not fun, huh?" Scarlett gave Stiles a sad look.

Scott gave him the same look before he spoke again. "I-I looked at her and it was like someone hit me in the ribs with a hammer." _I know the feeling…_Scarlett thought.

"That's called heartbreak. There's about two billion songs written about it." Stiles sighed and Scarlett smirked.

"I can't stop thinking about her."

"Well, you can think about this; her dad's a werewolf hunter and…you're a werewolf so it was bound to become an issue…that wasn't helpful." Stiles said. "Ah, dude, you got dumped. It's supposed to suck."

"Very true." Scarlett added in.

"No, that's not it. It was like I could feel everything else in the room, everyone else's emotions…like you Scar," Scarlett's eyes snapped to her brother. "You're upset about something and you're beating yourself up over it."

"Wh-no I'm not." She protested. He gave her an incredulous look. "I'm not."

"Doesn't matter…it's gotta be the full moon." Scarlett was thankful when Stiles got the spotlight away from her. "We'll chain you up in your room later just like we planned. That way when the Alpha, who's your boss, can't get to you either."

"I think we need to do a lot more than lock me in my room."

"Why is that?" Scarlett asked.

"Because if I get out…I think I might kill someone." Scott said grimly. His words chilled Scarlett to the bone. She couldn't imagine Scott killing anyone. That's just not who he was.

Brooke glared at Scarlett as they both made their way out onto the field for practice.

"What's her problem with you anyway?" One of Scarlett's friends, Taylor, asked.

Scarlett shook her head, ignoring Brooke. "I have no idea." She walked over to Scott and Stiles who were sitting on the bench, waiting for lacrosse practice to start.

"Scarlett!" Stiles shouted, jumping up to greet her.

"Stiles…" She said, leaning back slightly and giving him a strange look.

"I just made first line. I just made _first line_! Oh, and Scott got co-captain." Scarlett's eyes widened and she smiled.

"Are you serious? How the hell did that happen?"

"Pinkeye." Stiles said simply. Scarlett shrugged and nodded, high-fiving him.

"Good enough. I bet Jackson is seething." She laughed, looking at Jackson and then at Scott.

"He is." Scott said lowly. Scarlett looked at him and realised he didn't look right. There was something off about him. He seemed to be in a darker state of mind. Maybe it was just the effects of the full moon.

"Okay…well, have a good practice guys." She said warily before making her way back to the squad.

"So, Scott is looking really hot lately." Taylor said, gazing at Scott. Scarlett turned to her slowly and scrunched her face up.

"That is my_ brother_. I find that disgusting." She said, shuddering. "And besides, he's caught up in another girl…sorry Taylor."

"Hmm…" Taylor shrugged and the two of them got into position with the rest of the cheerleaders.

Halfway through the routine, Scarlett did was doing a flip up in the air and when she came back down, she ended up falling to the ground and landing on her arm in awkward position. She let out a small whimper and clutched her arm as everyone else surrounded her.

"Oh my God, Scarlett! Are you okay? Do you need to go the hospital? Is it broken?" People kept asking questions but she was only focused on the pain. It definitely wasn't broken, but Brooke's nose would be because _she_ was the one who dropped her.

Scarlett got up with the help of the others and she looked murderous.

"What the hell?!" She shouted at Brooke who was standing with her arms folded.

"What?"

"You dropped me on purpose you bitch!" Brooke continued to give Scarlett a blank look.

"No I didn't. You fell." She shrugged. Scarlett lunged forward, making Brooke jump back, but people grabbed her from behind, preventing her from doing Brooke any harm.

"Maybe you should just sit out, make sure your arm is okay." Taylor said calmingly, trying to lead Scarlett to the bench. Scarlett shrugged her hand off roughly and glared at Brooke before walking over to where the lacrosse practice was taking place. She couldn't stand to be around the cheer squad any longer.

She held her arm close to her as she watched the boys play. Scott looked like he was playing a little rougher than usual. When he didn't get past the other players the first time, he went again and that time he knocked straight into Danny who then fell, groaning in pain.

Scarlett's eyes widened and she, along with everyone else that was hanging around, rushed over and surrounded Danny. When she saw that Danny was being helped, she walked over to Scott and Stiles.

"Why the hell did you do that?" She asked Scott.

"What? He's like twice the size of me." He shrugged it off, not seeming to care that he just seriously injured one of his team members.

"Yeah, but everybody likes Danny." Stiles said. Scott rolled his eyes and then noticed Scarlett's arm which was all scraped up.

"What happened to you?" He asked. He didn't sound caring, he sounded angry.

"Nothing." She shrugged.

"Who did that to you Scarlett?"

"I fell, Scott." She said, not wanting to get worked up over Brooke again.

"Chill buddy, it's just a scrape. She's fine." Stiles said warily, before he led Scarlett away from Scott to give him time to cool off.

"What's wrong with him?" Scarlett asked.

"I think it's the full moon…I _hope_ it's the full moon." Stiles said, looking over at Jackson and Lydia. Scarlett watched as Lydia wiped her lipstick from where it had been obscured and she narrowed her eyes. Stiles watched as well and when it clicked, he looked back at Scott and grit his teeth together. When she saw him do that, Scarlett took a guess at what had happened and she felt bad for Stiles. That was a dick move on Scott's part.

Scarlett took Stiles' arm and gave him a sympathetic look. "Come on." She said and they walked away from the crowd, both of them pissed at different things.

* * *

"And you'll lock the door?" Melissa questioned.

"I will lock the door." Scarlett nodded. Melissa smiled and she kissed Scarlett's forehead, walking away to get her keys. They both looked up when they heard the door open.

"Scott?" Melissa called out, walking around to see if it was her son. It wasn't. Instead it was Stiles, giving her a sheepish look.

"Stiles." He said.

Melissa let out an uncomfortable laugh and pointed to the key in Stiles' hand. "Key."

"Yeah! I had one made so…"

Scarlett shrugged. "Somehow, I don't find that surprising."

"Yeah…it scares me but it doesn't surprise me." Melissa agreed as Stiles dropped a duffel bag on the floor.

"What is that?" Melissa asked as Scarlett walked over to them with her tea.

"It's uh…a school project." Stiles said. Scarlett scoffed quietly and Stiles gave her a 'shut up' look.

"Uh-huh," Melissa looked between the two teens. "He's okay…right?"

"Who, Scott? Yeah, he's great." Stiles answered.

"He just…doesn't talk to me anymore. Not like he used to. Not like Scar does."

Scarlett gave her mom a side hug. "It's not just you mom. He doesn't talk to me anymore either."

Melissa rubbed Scarlett's back and kissed the top of her head. "Okay…well, you two be careful tonight."

Scarlett pulled away and she nodded. "You too." She and Stiles said simultaneously.

"Full moon." Melissa said, making both of their eyes widen.

"What?"

"There's uh a full moon tonight…you should see how the ER gets. Brings out all the nut-jobs." She laughed slightly.

"Oh, right." Scarlett sighed with relief.

"You know, it's actually where they came up with the word 'lunatic.'" Melissa informed them before walking out the door.

"Hmm." Scarlett shrugged. "What's really in the bag?"

Stiles bent down and opened up the duffel, pulling out chains.

"Thought so." She nodded, walking up the stairs with him following behind. "Just, uh, shout if you need me." Scarlett said, heading into her room.

"Will do."

Scarlett smiled and she closed her door, set her tea down and threw herself on the bed. She looked at her arm which was all bandaged up, thanks to her mom. It stung like hell but it wasn't completely unbearable. She closed her eyes and lay there for a few minutes, just relaxing before she heard shouting coming from Scott's room. Her eyes flew open and she rushed out the door.

"I'm protecting you from yourself and giving you some payback…for making out with Lydia." Scarlett caught onto the end of what Stiles was saying as she entered the room. He was standing by the door, talking to Scott who was handcuffed to the radiator.

"Scarlett…make him let me go." Scott said pleadingly.

"Don't." Stiles said, looking at her and then Scott.

"Sorry Scotty, but this is for your own good."

"Fine. Don't let me out you bitch." Scarlett's eyes widened. "You're so selfish Scarlett. You always have been. It's no wonder you don't have any friends…everybody _hates_ you. You're completely worthless._ I_ hate you!" Scott shouted making Scarlett cringe. She felt the strong urge to cry because it honestly felt like Scott was saying the things she was feeling about herself...Like he _knew_ exactly what she had been thinking the past few days and he was just voicing it. But…it wasn't _really_ Scott saying those things. Surely he didn't actually think that.

"He's lying Scar…don't listen." Stiles said, retrieving something from the duffel and leading her out of the room.

Scarlett wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, shaking off what Scott had said. "What is that?" She asked, gesturing to Stiles' hands.

"This," Stiles held up a dog bowl that said 'Scott' on it. "Is for Scott." He ran down stairs and got a water bottle before running back up to meet Scarlett who was leaning against the wall.

She followed Stiles back into Scott's room. "I got you some water." Stiles said, holding up the bowl and pouring the water into it before giving it to Scott. Scarlett shook her head and walked back out, leaning against the wall again.

"I'm gonna kill you!" She heard Scott shout. She then heard the sound of the bowl clattering to the floor.

"You kissed her, Scott! You kissed Lydia! That's my-like the one girl that I ever- and you know, the past three hours I've been thinking 'it's probably just the full moon and he doesn't even know what he's doing. Tomorrow, he'll be back to normal and he won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been." Stiles said.

Everything went quiet and then she heard Scott say something. "She kissed me."

"What?"

"I didn't kiss her…she kissed me." Stiles left the room and stood beside Scarlett before sliding down the wall. "She would've done a lot more too…should've seen the way she had her hands all over me. She would've done anything I wanted. Anything!" Scott shouted.

Scarlett cringed and she slid down to sit beside Stiles, taking his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. It looked as if he was the one comforting her but in reality, it was the other way around.

They sat in silence for a while before they heard Scott talking again. "Stiles…I'm sorry, it's the full moon I swear. You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose. Please Stiles let me out…Scarlett, it's starting to hurt. It's not like the first time. It's the full moon. It's Allison...breaking up with me. I know that it's not just 'taking a break.' She broke up with me. And it's killing me."

Scarlett's heart bled for her twin. She knew it was rough for him. Having to deal with all the werewolf crap on top of having to deal with his first love breaking up with him…it pained her to know that he was pained.

"I feel hopeless…just, please, let me out."

"I can't." Stiles whispered. They heard Scott moving about and then he started screaming and Scarlett buried her head into Stiles' shoulder while he covered his ears. Both of them were trying to block out the noise because it was too painful to listen to. Scarlett was frustrated that she wasn't able to do anything. She wasn't able to help her brother and she was on the verge of tears again, as was Stiles.

Their heads snapped up when the screaming stopped and they heard a noise. "Scott, you okay?"

Stiles helped Scarlett up and they both went into Scott's room only to find the handcuffs broken and Scott no longer there.

"Shit." Stiles swore before the two of them ran downstairs and out the door to Stiles' jeep.

"Where is he, Stiles?" Scarlett asked nervously, continuing to look out of all the windows of the jeep as they drove.

"I don't know." Stiles replied, sounding frustrated. "What the…" Scarlett looked straight ahead and saw the flashing lights of police cars and an ambulance. Stiles cut the engine on the jeep and they both jumped out. "Dad!" Stiles shouted, searching for the Sheriff.

Scarlett followed behind him, whipping her head around too. "Dad?" Stiles asked, looking around all the cops. One of them put a hand on Stiles' shoulder, giving him a grim look. He shrugged the person off and made his way over to the gurney that was carrying a dead body. He looked at it and then he heard a voice behind him.

"Stiles?" Sheriff Stilinski asked. Stiles and Scarlett both sighed with relief as Stiles hugged his dad. Scarlett was glad the Sheriff wasn't dead but at the same time she was still freaking out about Scott. She had to find him before he hurt himself or someone else.

"What are the two of you doing out here?" The Sheriff asked.

"Uh, well…we were on a late night drive." Stiles answered.

"And where's Scott?"

"We were on our way to pick him up. From Allison's house." Scarlett quickly came up with a believable lie. She wanted to get out of there.

"Exactly." Stiles agreed.

The Sheriff gave them an incredulous look. "Go home." He sighed.

"Yes sir." Stiles said, taking Scarlett's arm and leading her back to the jeep.

"Do you think he maybe went back home? I mean, we've been out here for like, ever." Scarlett said.

"I don't know…maybe. I'll drive you back and then I'll see if I can find him on the way home." Stiles told her, starting the car.

When they got back to Scarlett's, Stiles let her out and told her that Scott would show up at some point and not to worry.

"Thanks Stiles. You know, you're a better friend then what you get credit for." She said with a smile. He blushed slightly and smiled.

"I know." Scarlett laughed and she shut the door, waving to him as he drove away. When Scarlett looked up at the house she saw that the light in Scott's room was on and she rushed in. She almost tripped and fell on the stairs but she kept going.

"Scott!" She shouted, running into his room. "Scott!" She came to a halt when she saw Derek standing in front of Scott. He turned to look at her and seeing him hit her like a ton of bricks but she ignored him and when straight to her brother, checking to make sure he was unharmed. She put her hands on his face, moving it from side to side. "Are you okay? Where did you go? I swear to God if you ever do that again I'll kick your ass and-"

"Scar." He said, gripping her hands and taking them away from her face. "I'm fine."

"Has the entire douchebag attitude washed away then?" Scott laughed slightly.

"Yeah…look, I'm sorry about what I said. I di-I didn't mean any of it, you know that right?" He asked.

Scarlett nodded. "I know. I'm just glad you're back. You should um, call Stiles and apologise to him as well."

"I will." Scott nodded.

"Good. Well, it's been an eventful night so I'm gonna head to bed." She said quietly, making her way to the door. She looked at Derek expectantly and he moved out of the way.

"Night Scar."

"Night Scotty." She gave him another small smile and walked to her room. She sat on her bed and stared at the wall. Derek was in her house. And she hadn't seen him since…well since the 'incident.' She wasn't too keen on him being around and seeing him had made her slightly uncomfortable. Hopefully he would just leave.

She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, getting up and walking into the bathroom to have a shower.

In the shower she leaned her head against the wall, trying to just forget everything and let the hot water wash all of her troubles away. Eventually it worked and she relaxed. No more thoughts of Derek or the full moon or anything werewolf related. Instead, she thought about what she could wear tomorrow and about what she would get on her chemistry test. She thought about what other normal teenagers did.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel around herself, walking out of the bathroom. She jumped and gripped the towel tighter when she saw Derek sitting on her bed.

"Do you _mind_?!" She hissed. It's not as if he hadn't seen her naked before but he decided to be respectful and he closed her eyes while she quickly got changed. "Is there a reason for you being here or do you just enjoy pissing me off?"

"I just wanted to apologise-"

"An apology? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" He cringed at the harshness in her voice. He shouldn't be there, he knew that but it had been days since he'd seen her and he couldn't live with himself for hurting her. The fact that he had willingly pushed her away killed him inside and he just couldn't do it anymore. It was selfish, yes, but he couldn't stay away. "We had sex and then you told me that it was completely meaningless. Not only did that make me feel like some kind of whore but you also ruined any so called 'friendship' that we had going."

"Scarlett-"

"Get out." She snapped.

"No, just listen-"

"No. I want you to leave. I want you to stop talking to me and I want you to leave me alone. Help Scott all you want, just make sure that you don't bother me whilst doing so."

"Look, I know that you're hurt but-"

"How would you know? Why do you just presume to know what I'm feeling huh? Because you _don't._ You have no clue. What you did…it _humiliated _me and I hate you for it." That wasn't exactly the truth. She didn't hate Derek. She was just so pissed at him and who the hell was he to think he could come in there and start trying to tell her how she felt?

Derek stood up and got closer to Scarlett making her take a cautious step back. "Would you just shut up and listen?"

Scarlett huffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. But I did it for your own good." He said, pointing at her.

"My own go-"

"No. It's my turn to talk." Scarlett glared at him but let him continue. "What we did…it was a spur of the moment thing and I shouldn't have let it happen. I should've stopped it before it got too far but I didn't because I wasn't thinking straight. After it…I realised that it had been a mistake and I freaked. All I want is for you to be safe, to be kept out of harm and-and us screwing? Not the way to do that."

Scarlett's gaze softened slightly as she took in what he was saying. He cared about her. He wanted her to be safe. Why did he have to be such a dick about it though?

"Der-"

"I'm not finished." He said, taking her face between his hands and searching her eyes. Her breath hitched at the closeness. "I _need_ you to be safe. I need to protect you and at the same time I don't want to lose whatever friendship we have. I fucked up saying that to you but it wasn't true. It was stupid. _I_ was stupid for hurting you. It's asking a lot but I just, I need your forgiveness and-"

She cut him off by reaching up and pressing her lips to his. It was a gentle kiss. Sweet and soft. Nothing like the kisses they had shared the other night. She knew she was giving in too easily, but this was Derek…and he just, well, he meant a hell of a lot to her and she couldn't stand to remain angry at him. Especially when he had just admitted that he actually wanted her to be safe and he had given her an apology. A _real_ apology…Something that was very rare from him.

"I'm not completely forgiving you yet. You need to work for that." She said with a small smile, still holding onto the back of his neck. He grinned and nodded.

"I can accept that."

"Good. Now get the hell out." She said, pushing him away and walking to her bed. He shook his head at her and rolled his eyes, going to the window.

"Goodnight Scarlett."

"Night Hale." He smiled into the darkness and jumped from the window.


	8. Chapter 8: Not Always As It Seems

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: All I'm saying is...relationships will grow, be patient...**

"Wait, why do you get to be the one driving again?" Scott asked from the passenger's side as Scarlett started driving faster.

"Is it really the time to be asking that?" She swerved the car slightly, trying to get away from the car behind them. Scott, Stiles and Scarlett were all in Derek's car trying to confuse the hunters whilst trying to find and save Derek from being caught by the cops.

"I just wanna know!"

"I don't know, because I'm more responsible? Because he trusts me? Pick one Scott and let me concentrate on not crashing!" She shouted, making a sharp turn. "Do I need to go faster Stiles?"

He looked behind them and saw that Kate, who was driving, was gaining on them. "Much faster." Scarlett gripped the wheel tighter and shifted the gear, going even faster. "If you don't go faster Scar, they're gonna kill us!"

"Hold on tight then." Scarlett floored it, swerving around the corner and racing down the road.

"They're gone." Stiles informed her. She slowed down a bit but continued going faster than the speed limit. "_Suspect is on foot, heading into the iron works._" They heard Sheriff Stilinski say over the police radio that Stiles had taken. Making a left, she headed for the iron works.

"There he is!" Scott shouted. Scarlett stopped the car as the boys shouted for Derek to get in. He jumped in while he was being shot at and Scarlett sped away.

"What part of laying low don't you understand?" Scott asked when he had gotten into the backseat.

"Dammit," Derek hit the dashboard. "I had him!"

"The Alpha?" Stiles asked, sticking his head through the gap between the seats.

"Yes! Then the friggin' police showed up!"

"Hey, whoa, chill." Scarlett said, still focusing on the road. She wasn't a big fan of all the shouting between them.

"They were just doing their jobs…" Stiles said, earning a death glare from Derek that made him shrink back.

"Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state!" He said, glaring at Scott.

"Can we please get passed that? I made a dumbass mistake-"

"Because he's a dumbass." Scarlett muttered making Scott glare at her before continuing.

"I get it."

"Alright!" Stiles interrupted. "How did you find him?" Derek looked at him before scoffing and looking out the window.

"Can you at least trust us for like half a second?" Scott asked.

"I trust one of you." Derek said, looking at Scarlett. Both Scott and Stiles looked at her and she saw their faces when she glanced in the rear-view mirror.

"What?" She shrugged. "I told you before."

"How about you trust all three of us?" Stiles asked. Derek glared at him again. "Or just her, I'll be back here."

"Just…tell us, please." Scarlett said, glancing sidelong at Derek. He sighed but talked anyway.

"Look, the last time I saw my sister she was figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris."

Stiles quickly leaned forward. "Our Chemistry teacher?"

"He's a dick…why him?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't know yet."

"Well, what's the second?" Scott asked. Derek reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper.

"Some kind of symbol." He showed the drawing to Scott and Stiles but Scarlett didn't look but she was scared she would crash.

Scott sighed, looking slightly pissed.

"What? You know what this is?"

"I've…seen it, on a necklace. Allison's necklace." He grit his teeth, hitting the back of Scarlett's seat.

"Could you maybe _not_ hit my seat please?" She asked, glaring at him in the rear-view mirror.

* * *

Scarlett yawned as she walked alongside Lydia.

"What's got you so tired?" Lydia asked, not sounding all that interested. Scarlett shook her head and looked at Lydia.

"What? Nothing, I'm not tired." She said, trying to cover up the second yawn.

"Mhm…you know whatever it is, you can tell me. If it's you know, a boy or…" Lydia looked at her expectantly.

"Why are you so convinced that there's a boy in my life?" Scarlett asked.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Because all the signs are pointing to it!"

"Signs?"

"Yeah, like…you're always too busy to hang out, you're tired, you seem to disappear a lot and you never let me read your texts."

"That stuff doesn't mean anything Lydia and when have I _ever_ let you read my texts?"

"All the time." Lydia answered quickly.

Scarlett stopped and scrunched her face up. "Do you _read _my texts?"

"Well not anymore." Scarlett shook her head, starting to walk again. "I'll see you later Scar."

"Bye Lyds." She said as Lydia walked into another class.

Scarlett kept walking through the halls and purely by accident she bumped into Scott and Stiles who were deep in conversation so, naturally, she began listening in.

"Did he say the word out loud?" Stiles asked.

"What word?" Scarlett joined in.

"Werewolf." He whispered.

"No, but he implied it pretty freaking clearly." Scott spat.

"Wait, who?" Scarlett asked, confused once again.

"Jackson."

Her eyes widened. "Jackson _knows_?"

"Apparently." Scott replied.

"Well, maybe it's not as bad as it seems…he doesn't have any proof right? And if he wanted to tell someone, who would believe him?" Stiles asked.

"How about Allison's father!" Scott hissed quietly.

"Yeah…that's pretty bad." Scarlett agreed.

"I need the cure. Right now." Scott had told Scarlett about the alleged cure the other night. To her, it seemed like a long shot. She wasn't too sure that killing the Alpha was going to cure him. And considering Derek was the one who told Scott that, she planned to question him about it.

"Does he even know about Allison's father?"

"I don't know." Scott sighed.

"Okay, where's Derek?" Stiles asked.

"He's still in hiding." Scarlett answered.

"I have another idea…it's gonna take a little time though." Stiles said vaguely.

"But we have that game tonight. It's the quarter finals and it's your first game."

"I know, I know. Do you have a plan for Allison yet?"

"She's in my next class." Scott told him.

"Get the necklace."

"Wait, you want Allison's necklace?" Scarlett queried.

"Yeah, why?"

"What, are you gonna try and steal it from her?" Scarlett asked incredulously.

"Yeah, why?" Scott repeated. Scarlett gave him a strange look before she sighed and walked off to her next class. Why was he so stupid? She could easily get the necklace off of Allison if she just asked to see how it would look with some outfits but she guessed that Scott had some sort of plan, most likely a dumb plan, but a plan nonetheless and she didn't want to mess it up.

* * *

Taking her phone out of her pocket, Scarlett checked the text from Lydia and then sighed. She pocketed the phone and walked briskly to the girls' bathrooms. When she walked in there was only one stall door closed so Scarlett knocked on it.

"Lyds? You in there?" She asked quietly. There was a slight sniffle and then the door opened and Lydia stepped out, gently wiping her eyes. Scarlett gave her a sympathetic look. "Were you crying?"

Lydia straightened up and tried to look proud. "Of course I wasn't crying."

"Lydia…it's okay. You got dumped-"

"I did _not_ get dumped. He _broke up_ with me and…who cares? He's only co-captain of the lacrosse team now anyway." She snapped. Scarlett knew that the breakup had hurt Lydia a lot more than what she was letting on but she nodded along anyway.

"You're right; you were always too good for him." Scarlett smirked, pulling Lydia in for a hug. They pulled away after a few moments and Scarlett looked around. "Where's Allison?"

"I didn't text her…she has some weird bond with Jackson now. I'll tell her later." Lydia shrugged, looking a little pissed and upset at Allison's new found friendship with Jackson. In all honesty, it seemed a little strange to Scarlett as well. Allison was a genuinely nice girl and Jackson was a prick. Scarlett knew that Jackson was up to something. Wasn't he always? Her guess was that he was trying to get under Scott's skin…not to mention that he had even more of a reason now that he allegedly knows about Scott being a werewolf. That was something else that was troubling Scarlett. If any harm came to her brother because of Jackson and his idiocy then she would have his head on a silver platter.

"Hmm. Yeah, I don't get that friendship…at all." Scarlett said before her phone started ringing. "One second." She held up a finger before answering the call. "Hello?"

"_I need you to come over. Like…now._" Stiles said, sounding nervous.

"Um…okay, why?"

"_Just get to my house as fast as you can."_ With that he hung up. Well, there goes her plans of going home to sleep.

"I have to go…family emergency." Scarlett lied. Lydia gave her a confused look but before she could ask any questions Scarlett started talking again. "So, I'll take you shopping soon. I promise, we'll do a major shopping spree to celebrate your freedom…okay? I'll see you later." She said, halfway out of the bathroom.

"O-okay…" Lydia said, unsure of what was happening. She stood in the bathroom with a frown on her face when Scarlett was gone. There she was, running off again. There so _was_ a boy and to cover it up using 'a family emergency'? How old was that excuse?

* * *

"Scarlett…?" Sheriff Stilinski asked as Scarlett entered the house. She turned around from shutting the door and gave a cheesy smile.

"Sheriff…hi." He gave a questioning look. "You're probably wondering why I'm here and I will tell you…it's because, well, I wasn't lying about Stiles and I. We really are in love." She shrugged.

"I think I'm actually starting to believe that." He sighed, looking slightly awkward. "So uh-you know what? I don't wannna know."

Scarlett nodded and the Sheriff headed out the front door. She really needed to come up with better excuses. Like, why couldn't she have said they were partners for a project or s_omething _other than 'we're in love'?

Yawning again, she made her way to the stairs and trudged up them. Without knocking, she walked into Stiles' room.

"I don't know why I'm here but please tell me that I can sleep while I am." She groaned, throwing her bag down and falling face-first onto his bed. Stiles gave her a strange look and then looked at Derek who was also standing in the room. Scarlett hadn't noticed him when she walked in.

"Uh, Scar?" Stiles asked.

"What?" Her voice was muffled when she spoke.

"You might wanna- uh, can you just get up?" She groaned and turned over so that she was lying on her back, with her eyes still closed.

"You know, I was gonna go home and take a nap before the game tonight but instead I am here. So, whatever it is, you can just tell me while I'm lying down." She said, slightly pissed that she wasn't getting to sleep. There really wasn't even a solid reason for her tiredness. She just hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

"Scarlett." Upon hearing the familiar voice she opened one eye and sat up, using her elbows to hold her up.

"Wait, _you're_ here? Did I…did I miss something?"

"Nope. He's here because he's a fugitive and has absolutely nowhere else to go, apparently. But I need your help." Stiles said, making Scarlett sigh and sit up properly.

"What is it?"

"You're friends with Danny…."

"Yeah, and?"

"I need you to get him over here." Stiles rushed out.

"No. No, you are not involving Danny in any of this. And besides, how would I get him here anyway?"

"You're lab partners, right?" Scarlett nodded. "Just tell him you're doing lab work."

"But-but…" Stiles gave her a puppy-dog look and she groaned. She couldn't say no to that face and she hated herself for it. "Fine. I'll call him." She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, finding Danny's name and standing up as it rang.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey Danny…it's Scarlett. Um so you know how I said we should probably start that lab work? Well, no time like the present, right?" She said, sounding nervous because she felt bad for having to involve Danny in…well, whatever it was.

"_Sure. Your house?_" He asked.

"Actually, could you come to Stiles' house? That's where I am."

"_Uh…okay. I'll be there in a few." _He replied before hanging up.

"I hate you." She said to Stiles causing him to give her a puzzled look.

"What'd I do?" He asked. She just glared at him.

"How do you know this Danny kid can trace the text?" Derek finally spoke up, making Scarlett look at him and then back to Stiles.

"You want him to trace a text? What text?"

"Yeah…I looked up his arrest report. He can do it." Stiles said to Derek before turning his attention to Scarlett. "The text that the Alpha sent to Allison…pretending to be Scott."

"Oh, that text." She sighed. She looked at Derek again. "So, why is it I keep finding you in the bedrooms of teenage boys?"

Derek didn't say anything, he just rolled his eyes at her and she smirked. She sat on the bed again, examining her nails.

"You know, I think I've finally convinced your dad that we're dating…which worries me slightly." Scarlett said, making Derek tense up ever so slightly.

"Huh. Well…that could be believable, right?" Stiles asked, with a curious look.

"Not really…not since everyone knows that you're like another brother to me. But, hey, it comes in as one hell of an excuse." She shrugged. "Although, I've decided that I'm swearing off boys," She glanced at Derek, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "For a very long time"

"Well that-that's good to hear." Stiles said, turning his attention to the laptop sitting on his desk.

"Yeah…" There was a silence between the three of them before they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Scarlett said, jumping up and looking at Derek who was standing in the corner looking pretty scary. "Can you just like…act normal?" He sighed before shrugging off his jacket and sitting in the chair, reading some random textbook that was lying on Stiles' floor. "Better."

Scarlett rushed downstairs and opened the door to Danny. "Hey, come on in."

"So, why are we at Stilinski's house?" Danny asked with a raised brow.

"Because…I got kicked out." Scarlett said.

"Right…" Danny didn't seem to believe her but he didn't question it any further. It was a horrible lie anyway but she had to think on the spot.

They went upstairs, back into Stiles' room and Stiles took it from there.

"Hey Danny…so, here's the thing. We need you to trace a text." He said simply. Danny gave both Scarlett and Stiles a confused look.

"You want me to do _what_? I came here to do lab work." He looked at Scarlett specifically. "That's what lab partners do."

"And we will."

"Once you trace the text." Stiles added on.

"And what makes you think I know how?"

Stiles sat there for a moment before replying with the truth. "I, uh, I looked up your arrest report."

"I- I was thirteen. They dropped the charges." Danny protested. Stiles held up his hands in defence, about to say something else before Danny cut him off. "No, we're doing the lab work."

Scarlett sighed and took out her lab books, sparing a glance at Derek who was already looking at her. She blushed slightly and turned away, back to Danny who was sitting at the desk with Stiles.

"Who's he again?" Danny asked, looking behind him at Derek. Stiles and Scarlett looked behind them as well before sharing a worried look.

"He's uh…my cousin…_Miguel_." Stiles covered for them, turning back to his laptop. Scarlett bit her lip to hold back the laugh. Miguel? Seriously? That's the name he came up with? Derek didn't even look like a Miguel. Well, she looked back at him again, pondering it for a moment, maybe he did…a bit.

"Is that…_blood_, on his shirt?" Danny asked. Did he really have to run about wearing blood covered shirts?

"Yah…yeah uh, he gets these…horrible nose bleeds." Stiles said. "Hey Miguel!" Derek looked up slowly and Scarlett smirked. It was some pretty good entertainment, she had to admit. "I thought I told you, you could borrow one of my shirts."

Derek closed over the book and got up, throwing the book on the floor and yanking off his shirt making Scarlett's breath hitch slightly. She never ceased to be amazed by Derek's physique, no matter how many times she had seen him shirtless.

"So uh, we both know you've got the skills to trace that text…" Stiles started trying to talk Danny into tracing the text again while Scarlett stared shamelessly at Derek's sculpted upper-half.

"Uh…Stiles." Derek said, holding up a shirt. "This, no fit." Scarlett covered her mouth and tried her best not to laugh.

"Then try something else on." Scarlett turned back to Danny and Stiles and saw that Danny was discreetly checking out Derek. She smirked and he looked at her. She mouthed the words 'I know right' to him and he looked slightly embarrassed. Then Stiles noticed and he decided to use it to his advantage. "Hey…" Stiles looked back at Derek who had put on an orange and blue striped shirt that was much too small for him. "That one looks pretty good, huh?"

Scarlett looked at Derek and shook her head while he glared at her and then Stiles.

"What do you think Danny?" Stiles asked.

"Huh?" He asked, trying to look away.

"The shirt?" Danny looked back at Derek and he seemed to get even more uncomfortable but he was clearly enjoying the view. Probably just as much as Scarlett was.

"It's-it's not really his colour." Derek pulled the shirt off and threw it back in the drawer.

"Hey, Scar, why don't you take Derek to get one of my dad's shirts?" Stiles asked before turning to Danny and smirking. "You swing for a different team but you still play ball, don't you Danny boy?"

Scarlett got up and smirked as well upon hearing what Danny said next.

"You're a horrible person." He muttered as Scarlett led Derek out of the room.

Scarlett opened the door to the Sheriff's bedroom and walked to the drawers, raking through the shirts.

"Hmm…" She looked at Derek, who was still shirtless, and then back to the shirts before pulling one out that looked like it would fit him. "Here." She said, handing him the dark shirt.

He raised a brow at her but took the shirt anyway, putting it on. It was a bit loose but it fit well enough.

"Crisis averted." She smirked, folding all of the other shirts again and putting them away nicely. He gave a small smile and just stared at her making her give him a look. "What?"

"Nothing." He said, shaking his head and continuing to look at her.

"Then stop staring." She said with a slight laugh, trying to brush of her nervousness that she got from him looking at her. It literally felt as if her skin was on fire…just from him looking at her. His gaze held so much fondness and it was soft, extremely different from his usual cold hard glare. He didn't look intimidating like he usually did, he just looked…normal. She liked that look on him. He seemed more relaxed.

She took a cautious step back when he took a step towards her. He smirked and kept walking forward until she was backed up against the wall and he was boxing her in.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"I'm talking to you." He whispered back.

"You call this talking?" She pointed back and forth between them.

"Well what else would it be?" He asked, trying to sound innocent when he knew that he was making her even more nervous. He could hear her heartbeat getting faster at the close proximity. It was also his way of trying to get her to forget about the whole 'forgiveness' thing because in all honesty, he had no fucking clue what to do to earn it. Not to say he thought he deserved any of her forgiveness at all but if she was offering it then…he didn't mind. He'd just never had to do that before.

It didn't take long for her to realise that that's exactly what he was doing and she smirked. "Oh…you are _not_ gonna make me forget about you earning my forgiveness that easily." He rolled his eyes and she pushed him away.

"About that, what do I have to do?" He asked. His voice held a slight vulnerability that she had never imagined he possessed. When he realised what he sounded like he covered it up with a stony look.

"It's not any one thing that you have to do, Derek, but…you'll figure it out." She whispered the last part, patting his chest as she walked by him and out the door. He groaned internally and followed her back into Stiles' room.

When they walked back in, Stiles looked up and gave them a strange look. "What the hell took you guys so long?"

"Derek's really fussy about colours. It's dark or nothing for him." Scarlett said casually, leaning over the desk chair that Danny was sitting on. He seemed very focused out whatever he was doing. "You got him to do it?"

"Yeah…" Stiles said with a smirk.

"How long is it gonna take?" Derek asked gruffly, standing next to Scarlett.

"Don't rush him." Scarlett said, elbowing him. If that had been anyone else he would've ripped their head off but because it was her he settled with giving her a glare.

"He has a point though…how far along are you Danny boy?" Stiles asked, leaning into Danny's personal space to see the laptop. By that point they were all crowded around the small screen and it was rather strange.

Danny finished typing before leaning back. "There." Derek and Scarlett both leaned in closer, causing their shoulders to touch and them to look at each other and then back to the laptop. "The text was sent from a computer…this one."

Scarlett's eyes widened as did Derek's and Stiles' before Derek spoke up. "Registered to _that_ account name?"

Everyone looked at Scarlett and she continued to look at the screen shaking her head. "No, no, no…no way. It was _not_ my mom. No way in hell." They looked back at the name again, thinking that maybe they saw it wrong but the name 'Melissa McCall' was still there.

* * *

"Yeah, it looks just like the drawing." Stiles said into the phone.

Derek yanked Stiles' arm over to him so that he could talk to Scott as well. "Is there something on the back of it? There's gotta be something…an inscription, an opening…something!"

"_No, the thing's flat. There's nothing on it, in it…around it, nothing. And where are you? You're supposed to be here! You're first line! And Scarlett, you too._" Scott said.

"Who's it gonna hurt if I miss one game? Parker will just try to sabotage me anyway." Scarlett said harshly, subconsciously rubbing the bandage on her arm and looking out the window of the jeep. She really wasn't too keen on doing the routine again. Not in front of everyone. Not if Brooke was gonna drop her and embarrass her.

"_Who cares about her? She isn't going to do anything in front of all those people!" _

"Oh believe me, she will."

"_Fine. But Stiles, you're not gonna play if you aren't here to start." _Scott said, sounding defeated.

"I know!" Stiles sighed. "Look, if you see my dad can you just…can you just tell him- tell him I'll be there I'll just be a little bit late, okay? Alright thanks."

"You're not gonna make it." Derek said, shaking his head. "Neither are you." He looked at Scarlett in the rear-view mirror.

"Not that bummed about it in case you haven't noticed." She didn't mean to sound bitchy but it definitely came across that way. The truth was, she _was_ bummed about it. In fact, she was totally pissed. Cheerleading was _her_ thing and she couldn't even do that now without fear of being dropped on her ass.

Derek ignored her reply and talked again. "You didn't say anything about your mom either."

Scarlett went to say something but Stiles beat her to it. "Not until we find out the truth." He said, looking out the windshield at the hospital.

"One more thing," Derek said, smacking Stiles' face against the wheel.

"Whoa." Scarlett cringed, leaning back slightly. That must've hurt like a bitch.

"Oh _God_! What the hell was that for?!" Stiles asked, clutching his forehead.

"You _know_ what that was for! Go," Derek said, pointing at the hospital. "_Go_." Stiles scrambled out of the car and Scarlett climbed over the seat to get out as well but Derek stopped her. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"She's _my_ mom. Plus, I know my way around the hospital better than he does." She said, shrugging off his hand and jumping out, running after Stiles.

When she caught up to him he was already inside.

"Come on." She said, walking over to the desk where her mom would usually be. But, she wasn't there. "Um…upstairs." The two of them took the elevator up to the next level and it was very unusually quiet.

"Call Derek." Scarlett said, still looking around for Melissa.

"We can't find her." Stiles said once Derek picked up.

"_Ask for Jennifer, she's been looking after my uncle_." Derek told him.

"Hey Scar," She turned and looked at Stiles. "He says ask for Jennifer." She nodded and went around the corner, followed by Stiles, to look in Peter's room only to find it completely empty.

"He isn't in here Stiles…" She said warily, a horrible feeling washing over her.

"He's not here either."

"_What?" _Stiles handed the phone to Scarlett when she motioned for him to give it to her.

"He isn't here Derek. He's just…gone." She explained, looking around and then at Stiles. There was a pause before Derek started talking again, sounding frantic.

"_Scarlett, get out of there right now! It's him, he's the Alpha! Get out!" _She slowly moved the phone away from her ear, looking at Stiles with a panicked expression before seeing Peter emerge behind him.

"Holy shit." She said uneasily. Stiles turned as well and jumped back. Peter was standing, well, leaning, casually on the wall. One half of his face still bared the horrible burn marks.

"You must be Stiles and…Scarlett." He said, rather charmingly.

Stiles backed up towards Scarlett, grabbing her arm and keeping her close to him as they rushed to go the other way only to be stopped by the small redheaded nurse.

"What are you doing here?" She asked casually. "Visiting hours are over." Her voice seemed to take on a darker tone.

Stiles pointed at her. "You and-" He pointed at Peter. "Him. Y-you're the one who…oh my- and he's the one…Oh my God, we're gonna _die_."

"We aren't gonna die." Scarlett hissed at him. Sure, she was scared as hell but she wasn't about to be killed by the likes of those two. Both she and Stiles looked between Peter and Jennifer before jumping slightly as Derek appeared, knocking Jennifer out by elbowing her in the face without even looking. Scarlett sighed in relief...maybe she was right and they would live.

"Well that's not nice…she's my nurse." Peter said calmly.

"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people. Get out of the way." Derek countered immediately, directing the last part at Scarlett and Stiles.

"Wh-" She began to say before she was cut off by Stiles.

"Aw, damn…" He yanked them both down and they crawled over to the wall at the side.

"You think I killed Laura on purpose? My own family…" Peter said, walking towards Derek making Derek growl before jumping at him and getting smashed into the wall. He landed right beside Stiles and Scarlett so they both moved further away.

Scarlett could see that Derek was already losing the fight and she wanted to help but there was nothing she could do and Stiles wouldn't let her either. "Stiles…let me go! We have to help him." She said, struggling to get out of his grip which made him only tighten it.

"Are you crazy?!" He asked.

"Well we can't just let him die!" She said, her voice sounding pleading.

It was still no use and she was forced to watch Peter grab Derek's throat and drag him across the floor as he talked to him. "My mind, my personality…were literally burned out of me. I've been driven by pure instinct." Peter dropped Derek and took a key out of Jennifer's pocket.

"You want forgiveness?" Derek asked, punching Peter in the face. Peter then kicked Derek, making him fall again and Scarlett couldn't watch anymore so she followed Stiles who was crawling around the desk.

The two of them ended up being closer to Derek and they hid behind the desk again, trying not to be seen by Peter. Hoping that maybe, he would forget that they were there.

Something in Scarlett made her want to feel bad for Peter upon hearing about the very slow and agonizing healing process he went through and then he brought up killing Laura again and that feeling was gone. She still thought he was dick. Never in a million years would she ever dream of hurting a family member.

She cringed as she heard Derek in pain but she kept silent, mostly because Stiles had his hand clamped over her mouth.

"I tried to tell you what was happening. I tried to warn you." She heard Peter say before he threw Derek through the glass of the other desk.

Derek managed to crawl into another room and Peter followed him slowly. Scarlett craned her neck, attempting to see them again but it was no use. They were behind a wall now and completely out of her sight.

She started to get up but Stiles grabbed her arm. "What the hell are you doing?" He hissed quietly.

"I need to make sure he's alive." She said sternly, yanking her arm out of his grip. He grit his teeth and followed her but stayed far enough back that he couldn't be seen.

"Derek!" She shouted, rounding the corner. He looked up at her from where he was slumped against the wall. His eyes were filled with pain and worry and he was bleeding in several places. She went to go forward to him but she was stopped by a smirking Peter. Her eyes widened at him. He was…different. The scars…they had all healed. How the hell was that even possible? She had seen him literally two minutes ago with burn marks on him.

"Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett…" He said. She swallowed and took a step back, still standing tall. "It's sweet really. You, coming to the rescue of your…boyfriend?" She didn't say anything, she just glared fiercely. "You don't have to worry; I'm not planning on killing him. Not that you could've done anything to stop me if I had been but, you get the picture."

"So what are you going to do with him then?" She asked, trying to keep her voice sounding strong.

"Well, he's family. He's going to become a part of my pack…isn't that right Derek?" Peter asked, looking back at Derek who was now standing up and clenching his jaw. He nodded slightly, looking down.

Scarlett clenched her fists by her sides. "He killed your sister and you're willing to forgive him? Just like that? Are you fucking kidding me?" Her temper was rising, helping to wash the fear away. She was pissed. After everything…Derek was just going to start _helping_ Peter? Help him kill people? She had honestly thought better of him.

"She is a feisty one. Isn't she?" Peter said, narrowing his eyes at her as if he was amused. "You'd make a great member of my pack. Join your brother, your boyfriend….then I'd have both McCall twins." He smirked.

"No chance in hell." She spat making him laugh.

"Hmm, well, I guess there's no need to keep you around then." Her eyes widened as his claws extended and he raised them.

"No!" Derek shouted, grabbing Peter's raised arm. "Leave her. She's not a threat. Besides, Scott will never help us if you kill his sister." Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him as he tried to play it off as if that was the only reason to keep her alive. As if he didn't give a shit about her. She knew he did care about her but it still stung.

"Oh let's not pretend Scott's the only one that would miss this little beauty…" Peter drawled, stroking her face with one of his claws. She roughly pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me." Scarlett growled, glaring even more.

Peter ignored what she said and picked up talking again. "I get it, I do. You're in love with her and for your sake, I'll let her live. But," He whispered, coming closer to her. "If you get in my way…I will not hesitate to rip you apart." She shivered in fear and he smirked again before walking out. Derek followed behind him, giving Scarlett a sad look as he did so. He knew that he had failed. He'd given in too easily but if he didn't join Peter then more people were going to die…Scarlett being at the top of the list.

Scarlett wanted so badly to reach out and grab onto Derek, telling him to stay but she knew that was a bad idea. She stood there; looking at the floor for a few minutes before Stiles finally came rushing in.

"Scar!" He said when he saw her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey…you okay?" His voice was filled with worry and sincerity.

"Apart from the death threat…I'm fine." She said, looking up at him with eyes filled with sadness and unshed tears. He frowned and pulled her in for a hug. She slowly returned it and she thanked the heavens for Stiles and his good hugs. She buried her face in his shoulder, enjoying the brother-like comfort that she was in desperate need of.


	9. Chapter 9: My Head Is Like A Prison Cell

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: Follow, favourite and review if you like! :)**

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Scarlett leaned her head against the window of Allison's car, drowning out Lydia and Allison's voices as they talked in the front. She was pretty sure they were trying to include her in the conversation but she didn't really care. She was too distracted thinking about what Peter had said. Not just about killing her, which terrified her, but also about him saying that Derek was in love with her. It seemed so absurd to her and she was sure that Peter had been lying but there was a part of her that actually _wanted_ to believe him as well.

What if he wasn't though? What if, by some miracle Derek maybe _was_ in love with her? She couldn't really see Derek being in love, especially not with her. Although, she knew that he definitely cared about her…probably as much as she cared about him and holy hell that was a lot. Her feelings for Derek were a lot stronger than any feelings she'd ever had for a guy and honestly, it scared her a bit. She wouldn't say she was in love with him, not yet, but there was definitely something between them. And she knew it wasn't just her that thought that.

"Is that alright with you Scar?" Scarlett's head snapped up and she looked at Allison who had been the one to speak to her.

"What, sorry?" She asked sheepishly.

"Is it okay if I run an errand before we go to the mall?" Allison laughed.

"Oh, yeah that's totally fine."

"Good. Because we're here." Allison said, parking the car at the entrance to the woods. Scarlett looked around and scrunched her face up in confusion. Allison had an errand to run…_in the woods_?

The three girls got out of the car and Allison got a duffel bag out of the trunk before leading the way. Scarlett and Lydia exchanged confused looks as they followed her deeper into the trees.

After a while, Lydia decided to speak up. "Allison, when you said you had to stop for an errand before we went shopping…a five-mile hike in the woods was not what I was expecting." She said, slightly out of breath as she and Scarlett tried to keep up with Allison's fast pace through the leaves whilst wearing heels.

"You could've told me before I decided on these heels." Scarlett complained. The shoes she was wearing were not designed for long nature walks and she was a little pissed that Allison hadn't mentioned it to her before.

Allison ignored the girls' complaints and instead she directed a question at Lydia. "Before I forget, I wanna make sure you're okay with something. Jackson asked me to the Winter Formal."

"Did he?" Lydia asked, trying to not sound interested or upset although, she was bad at covering it up.

"He gets around." Scarlett murmured, earning a small glare from Lydia.

"Yeah, just as friends but I wanted to make sure you're okay with it first." Allison said. Something about the way she said sounded a little cocky and bitchy and Scarlett wondered if maybe it had anything to do with the fact that Lydia made out with Scott. She had no idea how Allison found out about that but…why else would she be taunting Lydia?

"Sure." Lydia said chirpily. "As long as it's just as friends." The look she was giving Allison didn't match the cheeriness in her voice at all.

"Yeah…it's not like I would take him to the coach's office at lacrosse practice and make out with him or anything." And there it was.

"Nice one Lyds." Scarlett whispered to Lydia making Lydia give her a 'shut the hell up' look.

"Uh, about that…" Lydia said, walking faster after Allison. Scarlett smirked. They may have been her best friends but sometimes the drama was good amusement for her, so she stayed quiet and listened to the two of them go on at each other.

After a few minutes of Lydia trying to talk her way out of Allison's bad books, Allison took out a bow and arrow and started screwing on some strange arrowhead. Scarlett gave it a strange look. Allison definitely knew something…why else would she randomly be doing archery? The thought of Allison becoming a hunter scared her immensely. She knew she had nothing to worry about, well not really, but she was worried more for Scott's safety and all around state of mind. He was in love with Allison and if she became a hunter then everything that they had would be destroyed.

"What does that do?" Lydia asked.

"You're about to find out." Allison got the bow and arrow ready and Scarlett took hold of Lydia's arm, stepping back a bit.

They watched as Allison let the arrow fly and land in a tree trunk, making a small explosion of sparks appear upon impact. Scarlett's eyes widened at that. That was not a normal arrow. Not at all. It had to be one that they used for hunting.

"Allison…what-what exactly was that?" Scarlett stammered.

"I don't know…" Allison answered, not looking at her.

"Well, that was fun." Lydia said, stepping forward. "Any more lethal weapons you wanna try out?"

There was a silence among the three of them when they heard what sounded like a twig snapping. As if someone was trying to be sneaky. Scarlett's heart started beating faster, fearing what it might be because she knew what was really out there. They couldn't see anything through the fog but then they heard it again.

"Hold this." Allison said, handing the bow to Scarlett who looked at it like it was some kind of bomb.

"Why?"

"I wanna find out what that noise is." Lydia gave her a strange look. "Don't worry it's probably nothing." She said, walking away from the girls.

"What if that nothing is something and that something is dangerous?" Lydia asked really fast.

"Shoot it." Allison said without turning around. Scarlett gave a look of confusion before taking a step to follow after Allison.

"Where are you going?" Lydia whispered, pulling on her arm.

"Well I'm not just gonna let her go alone. What if it really is something dangerous and Allison is left unprotected because we have the bow and arrows and we're the ones who can't shoot for shit?" Scarlett asked, freaking out at the thought of something attacking Allison.

"Okay." Lydia nodded. "Let's go." She kept a hold of Scarlett's arm and they walked in the direction they had seen Allison go in once Lydia had grabbed the bag of arrows.

They heard a noise that sounded like someone in pain and they ran towards it.

"Allison!" They both shouted before coming to a stop upon seeing Allison crouching down beside Scott who was on his back, next to a Taser, looking up at her.

"Scott? What the hell are you doing here?" Scarlett asked, lowering the bow that she had raised as some sort of baseball bat.

Scott looked at her as if she was crazy. "Why the hell do you have a bow?!"

"It's not mine!" She said.

"It's mine." Allison admitted. "Um, we should go." She got up and took the bow off of Scarlett, walking past them. Scarlett raised a brow at Scott and quickly helped him up, getting all the leaves off him before following after Allison and Lydia.

* * *

"I like it." Scarlett jumped at the voice behind her. She spun around and put a hand over her racing heart when she saw Derek standing by her window. Her eyes widened and she walked over to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Oh my God…" She whispered before pulling back. "I-why are you here?" He gave her a grim look and pulled her arms away from him. She gave him a confused look.

"I-I shouldn't be." He said, looking like he was battling an inner war with himself.

"Then why are you?"

"Because I had to make sure you were okay." He admitted, looking into her eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" She asked, staring back at him with as much intensity. He looked troubled, more troubled then he usually did and she didn't like it. She knew it was because of Peter and it made her blood boil. He was using Derek like some sort of puppet and that was not okay with her.

"You went out today."

"Yeah…so?"

"So, if Peter sees you he's going to kill you. You need to be careful." He told her. His voice was soft but he was being stern at the same time.

"Actually, he said he'd rip me apart." She said with a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Not that she was feeling very happy herself but she hated seeing him so upset. But, that was probably the wrong thing to say. He searched her eyes, seeming confused.

"What the hell could you possibly find funny about dying? Scarlett, this is your _life_…Not a joke. And why are you acting so calm?" He said, sounding offended that she would even try to make the situation funny.

"I'm not calm!" She snapped. "Of course I am not fucking _calm_ Derek. I am freaking out. Your uncle is a psychotic friggin' Alpha that has me on his hit list and you honestly think that I actually find that funny? Because I really don't. I just said that because…I don't know, passing things off as funny is my way to cope with stuff. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I'm not careful. But I didn't realise going _shopping_ was that big of a deal."

"It wasn't the going shopping part that put you in danger, Peter wouldn't kill you in a public place. It was the part where you went into the fucking woods. Are you an _idiot_?" He asked, gripping the tops of her arms.

"No." She answered immediately. "I'm not an idiot. And besides, I was with Lydia and Allison and Allison just so happened to bring along a bow and arrow and believe it or not she's a pretty damn good archer. Not to mention Scott was also following us like the stalker he is and-wait, how did you know that we went into the woods?" She asked, forgetting her rant.

He clenched his jaw, letting go of her arms and looking down. "I had to know you were safe." He said quietly.

"You _followed_ us? Are you freaking serious? So really, everything your saying is bullshit and if anything were to happen then you would've been there as well." She half laughed, half scoffed.

"What was I supposed to do?" He snapped at her. "How else was I supposed to know you weren't getting ripped to shreds, huh?" There was a slight quaver in his voice that made Scarlett's bitchy attitude disappear. She looked up at him with softer eyes. Knowing that he cared for her that much made her heart flutter. In reply to his question, she got on her tippy toes and pressed her lips to his softly.

He reciprocated by putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer to him. The kiss started to get more heated and he turned them around, pushing her against the wall while her hands tangled in his hair. She pulled away for air and continuously ran her hands through his hair, messing it up. His mouth moved down to her neck and he began sucking and biting making her moan and tilt her head back to give him better access. She pulled him back up to kiss her and he then moved his hands from her waist to her ass, squeezing gently making her moan into his mouth before he grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her up. He began grinding his hips against hers and she moaned softly again when she felt him harden slightly.

They both froze when they heard a knock at the door.

"Hey Scar sweetheart, can I see you for a minute?" Melissa shouted through the door.

"Um…Just a second!"

Derek let Scarlett down and scolded himself for not hearing Melissa coming up the stairs. He looked at Scarlett and she looked like a riot. That was so stupid of him. Why the hell was he incapable of controlling himself around her? Thinking about that made him go back to what Peter had said about him being in love with Scarlett. Peter had that wrong. He wasn't in love with her although he was well on his way there. He felt so much for her but being in love wasn't his thing. He had sworn to himself that he would never fall in love again but he wasn't sure he could keep that promise with Scarlett around.

"Why are you just standing there?" Scarlett whispered, trying to straighten herself out and smooth down her hair. "Go!" He noticed one hair out of place and he fixed it quickly before jumping out of the window.

"Scarlett?" Melissa called again. Scarlett gathered herself, taking a deep breath, trying to forget the amazing make out session and she walked to the door.

"Yes?" Melissa looked at her with a strange look and Scarlett thought that she was busted but as it turns out, she wasn't.

"That's a nice dress. Did you get that today?" Her mom asked with a smile. Scarlett sighed with relief and looked down at the dress. She was trying it on when Derek appeared. He said he liked it and that only made her like it more.

"Yeah, I did. Do you like it?"

"I love it." Melissa said. "Oh, but I need your help."

"With…?"

"I might have a date tonight." Scarlett's eyes widened and she smiled brightly.

"Seriously?! Oh my God, who is it? Is he cute? Do I know him?" She asked excitedly. Melissa hadn't been on a date for years so this was huge.

"Uh, he's a medical rep. He is most definitely cute and no, you do not know him."

Scarlett seemed to forget about all the other crap going on and she was solely focused on her mom. She grabbed Melissa's hand and pulled her over to the bed, sitting down next to her.

"Alright, tell me everything. How did this happen?"

"Well, he came into the hospital today and we just started talking then the next thing I know, he's asking me to dinner and I'm saying yes." Melissa shrugged and laughed.

Scarlett squealed like a little girl and hugged her mom tightly. "I'm so happy for you!" In her head she was already planning out their wedding, working around the fact that she had no clue who the guy was or what he even looked like.

"So do you think you could maybe help me get ready?"

"I'd be honoured momma bear." Scarlett said, using the nickname that she had always used for Melissa.

The two of them walked to Melissa's room and Scarlett sat her down in front of the mirror before going to her mom's closet. She went through all of her clothes before finally deciding on an outfit that was all black. Black pants, black shirt and a black patterned blazer/jacket.

When she was finished with that she went back to Melissa and laid out all of her makeup.

"Nothing too fancy Scar." Scarlett rolled her eyes. She always liked to do her makeup a little more eccentric when she went out. Not anything crazy just not her routine everyday makeup.

"Don't be such a bore." Scarlett joked, earning a fake glare from Melissa. "Okay, seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I've already got an image in my head."

With that she started on her makeup, doing it more on the simple side and when she was finished she moved onto her hair, styling in nicely so that it looked classy. After that, she raked through Melissa's jewellery box, finding a sliver necklace and matching earrings. When she was finished she took a step back and admired her work.

"Alright, get dressed." Scarlett said, pointing to the outfit that was on the bed. As Melissa did that Scarlett went to her closet to find a pair of snazzy heels. She handed them to her when she was fully dressed and smiled when the outfit was completed. "They grow up so fast." She said, covering her mouth with her hand like her Melissa did when Scarlett went out on her first date.

"Ha ha. You're cute." Melissa joked, kissing Scarlett on the head before walking out of her room and into Scott's room. Scarlett hoped to God that Scott hadn't been home when Derek had been there.

Instead of following her mother, Scarlett went back to her room to finally take off the dress. She changed into more comfortable clothing and then she heard the doorbell ring. Someone, most likely Scott, ran down to get it and she slowly made her way out of her room as well. She was keen to see who her mom's mystery man was so she walked down the stairs only to find Scott standing, looking at the door which was still closed.

The doorbell rang again and Scarlett heard Melissa shout from upstairs. "Scott! Open the door!"

When Scott still didn't move Scarlett rolled her eyes and walked past him, yanking the door open only to freeze in fear. She felt Scott grab her arm and pull her away from the door, trying to slam it on Peter, who stood there looking casual. He put his hand out and pushed the door, preventing Scott from closing it.

"Hello there." Peter said. Scarlett stood behind Scott, glaring at Peter. This was total bullshit. She was not letting her mom go on a date with Peter fucking Hale.

"I'll tell her." Scott said, his voice sounding shaky.

"That I used to be a catatonic invalid with burns covering half my face? Good luck with that." Peter replied, being a smartass. That only made Scarlett hate him more.

"If you hurt her…if you even touch her-"

"Scott if I may interrupt your listing of the top five most impotent sounding threats, for a moment, try and remember that I was in a coma for six years. Don't you think I'd like to have dinner with a beautiful woman?"

"Not when that beautiful woman is our mom you jackass." Scarlett spat out at him.

"Just uh, half a second." Melissa called from behind them, going into the kitchen. Peter smiled at her but then his face became stoic as he looked at Scarlett again.

"I do recall telling you that if you got in my way I'd…what was it? Rip you apart? Maybe you forgot about that."

"You're not gonna do anything right now." Scarlett said, still semi-hiding behind her brother.

"You're right. Not right now." Peter said menacingly.

"Is Derek with you?" Scott asked, seeming to realise something. Peter smirked and stepped into the house.

"No. But I can see why you'd think that. Although, I thought your senses were sharp enough to realise that his scent isn't on me…" He said, eyes trailing towards Scarlett whose heart started beating faster and faster. She was afraid that it might jump out of her chest. Not only was she afraid of Peter killing her mom and her, but she was also deathly afraid of the look Scott gave her. It was a very dark look, very similar to the look he wore during the last full moon when he acted like a completely different person. "Hmm…well, we can save the brother-sister conflict for later. Right now, Scott, you have to understand how much more powerful we are together. You and me and Derek." Both males' eyes travelled to Scarlett's guilt-ridden face. "Did you know that some of the most successful military operations during the Second World War, were the German u- boat attacks? Do you know what they're called? Wolf packs. Did you know that? Or are you failing History as well?"

"I know the German's lost the war." Scott said lowly.

Peter let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "I think you'll find that most historians would argue that as a failure of leadership. And trust me; we don't have that problem here."

Scarlett turned at the sound of Melissa's heels clicking against the floor.

"I'm ready." She said with a smile. "Sorry again. Okay, you two have a goodnight and behave." Melissa kissed Scarlett's head again before Peter offered his arm and the two of them walked out the door.

"Do something!" Scarlett hissed at Scott quietly.

"Mom," He said, rushing to the door.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She gave both Scott and Scarlett questioning looks when she turned around.

"Have a good time." Scott said finally. He obviously didn't mean that but he had panicked. Scarlett groaned, running a hand through her hair. Her nerves were eating at her. It wasn't her own life she feared for anymore, it was her mother's. What if Peter did hurt her? Scarlett couldn't continue living if he did anything to her. She would personally find a way to rip his heart out. If she managed to survive Scott's wrath.

Scott turned to her slowly, his eyes dangerous and his breathing heavy as if he was trying to control himself.

"Why do you smell like Derek?" His voice kind of scared her. She couldn't lie, he would be able to tell by her heartbeat but she also couldn't tell him that they were close to screwing each other's brains out.

"He was here…and he wanted to see that I was still alive." She said, controlling her voice and her breathing better than she thought she would.

"Why was he doing that?"

"I should've told you sooner but…the other night, Peter threatened to kill me if I got in his way."

"Yeah, he said that a few minutes ago. But that doesn't explain why Derek was with you." She was pissed that he didn't seem to care about the whole death threat thing. If someone had seriously threatened to kill Scott then she would be freaking out. She didn't dwell on the thought though. She had to focus on keeping her heartbeat steady.

"Because…" She was going to think of something that was believable but instead she snapped. "Hell, maybe it's because he actually gives a shit whether I live or die which seems to be something you care very little about."

Her throat began to tighten and she knew she would end up crying if she went on, admitting out loud how upset she was that Scott didn't care about her wellbeing, so she ran away up stairs and into her room. She heard Scott shouting after her but she ignored him. She slammed the door and grabbed her hair, feeling angry and frustrated enough to just yank it all out. Her breathing became rugged and she felt as if the room was spinning. She fell to her knees and from there fell onto the floor, dragging her hands down her face and then holding her head trying to control her erratic heartbeat and get rid of the constant pounding in her head.

The room slowly stopped spinning and she let a single tear slip from her eye. Her hands were still shaking and her head still hurt but she managed to start taking deep breaths, telling herself that everything was okay even though it was very far from that. She reached for her phone which was discarded on the bed. Leaning against the bed, she unlocked the phone with shaking hands and called Derek.

She heard the front door slam shut right before Derek answered on the second ring.

"_Scarlett? What's wrong? Are you okay?"_ He answered, sounding worried.

"I'm f-fine-"

"_You don't sound fine. What happened_?" He cut her off.

"Don't worry about me." She croaked out, her voice sounding tight. "I need you to tell me the truth. Did you know about Peter going out with my mom tonight?" She really hoped that he hadn't known. Because if he had then that means he was with her, kissing her, and all along he knew that her mother's life was in jeopardy.

There was a silence before he spoke again, confirming her fears. "_Scar-"_

"You knew." She said, sounding betrayed. "You knew and you didn't tell me? The whole time you were with me…how- how could you stand there and kiss me knowing full well that my mom was going to be in danger? She could die, Derek! Do you understand that? He's going to kill her!" Her voice was frantic as she shouted at him. She could feel another panic attack coming on.

"_He isn't going to kill her!"_ Derek snapped. "_Calm down_-"

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you tell me to calm down when my mom…my mom is out there with-with-" She couldn't finish what she was going to say before the silent tears started streaming down her face. She couldn't lose her mom. She was never supposed to be involved in any of it.

"_I'm sorry. Please believe me when I say that. And believe when I say that he isn't going to hurt her. I promise you that-"_

"_Hey, who the hell are you talking to_?" Scarlett frowned when she heard a familiar voice through the phone.

"I-is that…Jackson?" She asked quietly. Her tears had stopped when she heard Derek's promise. She wasn't sure she could believe it but it did make her feel somewhat better and she was sure that Scott had a plan and was out sabotaging the date as she sat there doing nothing.

"_I have to go_." Derek said.

"No, wait. Why are you with Jackson? What the hell is going on Derek?"

"_I can't talk to you right now. Just, stay at home okay_?"

"No, not okay. Where are you? What are you doing with Jackson?"

"_I'm sorry Scarlett_." With that, he hung up on her. Well, she definitely couldn't stay at home. Not when he was acting a suspicious and not when he was with Jackson…then it hit her. It had something to do with Jackson wanting the bite. Her eyes widened and she quickly got up, which was a mistake because she felt dizzy again. She stood for a moment, steadying herself before pocketing her phone and yanking her shoes on. She ran out of her room and down the stairs but stopped when she heard someone call her name.

"Scarlett!" Allison called from the top of the stairs making Scarlett turn around and give her a look of confusion.

"When…did you get here?" Scarlett asked, looking around for some sort of answer.

"I-uh, I came to talk to Scott but he left in a hurry and told me to wait here." Allison gave a small laugh. Okay, so Scott was handling their mom and Peter. That was good. That relieved her but she had to get to the Hale House. She had a feeling that's where Derek was.

"I hate to leave you by yourself but I have to go run an errand real quick." Scarlett said, trying to get away.

"Oh, do you want me to come with you?"

"No." Scarlett said quickly before noticing the upset look on Allison's face. "I mean, it's fine, really. I'll be back soon. Thanks anyway. And uh, help yourself to whatever."

She didn't wait for a reply before grabbing the keys to her car and rushing out. Her guess was that Scott had gotten a ride off of Stiles and that's why their car was still there. Thank God for that. She got in the car and drove like a mad man down to the woods and through them to get to the Hale House.

Derek's car was parked outside so she knew that they were there. That and the shouting she could hear coming from inside was a dead giveaway. She briskly walked up to the house and pushed the door open only to be met by Scott and Derek both in their werewolf forms and Jackson cowering on the stairs. He looked like he'd been crying and she instantly felt bad. Damn her feelings.

"What the hell is going on?!" She shouted. "Why are you here Scott? Is mom okay?"

"Why are you here?!" He shouted back.

"It doesn't matter. Is mom okay?" She reiterated.

"She's fine. Now move." He growled at her. Derek grabbed her arm and pushed her behind him, away from Scott and Scott snapped. "Don't touch my sister!" He went to lunge at him but there was a noise and then Derek shouted for everyone to get down as an arrow went flying through the window, setting off sparks that were then followed by lots and lots of gunfire. Derek made sure that Scarlett was safe, shielding her from the oncoming bullets and when she saw Scott get shot she shouted and scrambled to get to him but Derek wouldn't let her. Instead he shoved her in the direction that Jackson had run off in.

"Go!"

"No, Scott!" She shouted again, trying to fight against Derek but it was no use.

"He'll be fine now get out!" He shouted at her, really fucking wishing she would listen. She was not dying there. Not while he was still living. Despite her desperate need to get to her injured twin she did what Derek said and ran the way Jackson had.

She caught up to Jackson and he gripped her arm as they ran away from the house together, trying to make it out of the woods. And when they were far enough away, Scarlett stopped and looked back the way they came.

"We have to go back." She said.

Jackson looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Are you fucking insane? You wanna run back into all that gunfire?"

"Yes. Because people that I care about are in there and they're in trouble! I know that you don't really understand that concept but I just, I need to go back. Whether you come with me or not." She said fiercely, finally turning to face him again.

He gave her a 'no way in hell' look and she sighed, starting to head back to the house.

"Scarlett, wait!" He said, grabbing her arm.

"Change your mind?" She asked.

He looked conflicted as he spoke. "Look, how about we stay here for a few more minutes and then I'll…take you back."

"Why do we have to wait?"

"Because maybe then the people shooting at us will be gone." He spoke to her as if she was a child and that pissed her off. He'd always done that when they were dating.

"You know what? You can stay here or go home or whatever, but I'm going back now." She scoffed, turning to leave again.

"Dammit Scarlett just wait!" He shouted. "You're not going by yourself…I can't let you."

"Why the hell not?" She snapped.

"Because despite what you think, I did actually care about you and honestly, I'd rather not see you die." He admitted, looking anywhere but her.

She gave him an incredulous look. "If you cared about me you wouldn't have been such a dick to me."

"Okay, I was a crappy boyfriend. I get that. But I did care about you. And that's why I'm not just gonna let you walk back there and get shot to death." His tone was still snappy but that was probably the most caring she'd ever seen Jackson. He was trying to be somewhat nice and she could see what a struggle that was for him so she accepted the fact that this was the most human she'd ever see him. After this, he would go back to acting like a cold hearted bastard.

She pursed her lips before sighing. "We'll walk slowly. Come on." Begrudgingly he followed her and they ended up falling into step with one another.

"So, you know about this whole werewolf thing?" He asked.

"Well when your brother is one you kind of have to know." She replied.

"He was going to kill me."

"Who?"

"Derek." He said as if it was obvious.

"Probably because you're a selfish prick." She told him honestly, making him glare at her.

"You seem pretty close with him…maybe you could talk him into giving me the bite." Jackson said, trying to pass it off as something normal.

"No chance in hell." Scarlett replied almost immediately. "Besides, what makes you think Derek and I are close?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously? The guy was pretty much taking bullets for you. And it was you on the phone, wasn't it? That's why he didn't sound like a total douche?"

"Whatever. I'm still not doing that." She shrugged it off although what he said had been true. Derek didn't get shot but he was more than ready to take a bullet or two for her. That kind of ensued that the two of them were close. Hell, they were closer than close.

There was silence between them for the rest of the walk. Jackson didn't want to push any further because he was afraid that Scarlett would have Derek kill him if he did. He was so close to dying earlier…he sure as hell didn't want that again.

Scarlett put a hand out to stop Jackson from walking any further. He gave her a look and she motioned for him to be completely silent as they approached the house. He rolled his eyes and then when they were at the side of the house he stepped on a twig. Scarlett glared at him and he just shrugged. She clenched her jaw and peered around the side. There was no one there anymore.

She made sure that there wasn't a random hunter lurking around before she ran into the house again to find it empty.

Jackson waited outside for her, whipping his head around constantly, paranoid that someone would sneak up on him.

Inside the house was just even more wrecked than it had been before and there was blood on the floor where Scott had been and there was absolutely no sign of Derek. She stood there, staring at the floor. Why weren't they there? What if they had both been killed and taken away by the hunters?

Her hands started shaking as she walked back outside. "T-they aren't there…I- where, where are they?" She whispered.

Jackson gave her as much as a sympathetic look as he could muster up but really, he didn't give a shit that they were gone. Derek wanted to kill him and Scot well, he didn't like Scott. Sure, he had basically saved his life but he still thought of him as some kid trying to steal his glory. The only thing either of them was good for was getting him the bite and since that didn't seem to be happening…he didn't care where they were.

"Well, if they aren't there then you aren't gonna find them. Not tonight anyway. You should go home." He said, putting an arm around her.

Scarlett looked up at him and wanted to shout at him for being so heartless but she couldn't find the strength to do so. Two of the most important people in her life were missing or dead and she couldn't do jack shit about it.

He walked her to his Porsche which she hadn't realised was even there until then. Feeling numb, she got into the passenger's side and Jackson drove her back to her house, abandoning her own car.

When she was back home she walked to her room and shut the door, walking to the bathroom. While she waited for the water to heat up she stood in front of the mirror and took in how horrible she looked. She was so tired and it showed on her face. The sadness she was feeling replaced the usual happy gleam in her eyes and she didn't recognise herself. She turned away from the mirror and stepped into the shower, letting the scalding hot water cascade down her.

After washing herself she decided to just sit. She wanted the water to wash away all of her fears but that really wasn't happening. The fear of losing Scott and Derek was all she could think about. She imagined them both dead. And what a horrible image that was. She knew that she should hold onto that shred of hope that they were still alive, that they had made it out, but that was easier said than done. Maybe if she hadn't run like a coward then she would still be with them. Or at least she would know if they were dead or alive. But she had run. She had done what Derek told her to do and she had left him. And she had left Scott knowing full well he was injured. Who _does _that? She thought of herself as a horrible person. As someone who left people behind.

Finally, she got out of the shower and got changed and crawled into bed. Even though she was tired, she didn't sleep. How could she? Instead, she kept her eyes open and stared at the ceiling, praying that in the morning Scott would be back and so would Derek and everything would be fine.


	10. Chapter 10: Rather Go To Hell

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

"Scar…Scar…Scarlett!" Scarlett jumped when she heard someone shout in her ear. Her eyes flew open and she saw Scott standing beside her bed.

"Go away Scott." She mumbled, turning to face away from him and bringing her blankets up around her neck. She stayed like that for a second before her eyes widened and she threw he blankets off of her, getting up and jumping on Scott. "Scott! Holy hell! You-you're alive!"

He jerked back a bit as her hands touched his face, making sure she wasn't just dreaming. She finally accepted that he was real and she hugged him as tightly as she possibly could.

"Yeah, I'm alive. I'm here." He said softly, stroking her hair. They hadn't hugged in a long time and he suddenly felt like a horrible brother. He remembered what she had said last night. Was that true? Did she honestly think he didn't care about her? How could he have ever let her think that? Of course he cared about her. He loved her. She was his sister, his twin…the girl that had always stuck by him and helped him out. As her older brother it was his job to protect her and since Allison came into the picture he seemed to neglect that job. So much so that she thought _Derek_ cared more about her? That was bullshit right there.

"I-I you're…oh my God. I thought you were dead Scott!" He felt her tears on his neck and he wrapped his arms tighter around her small frame.

"But I'm not. I'm all healed and good as new, okay? I promise, I don't plan on dying on you Scar." He said, trying to make her see that he did love her.

"You better not you dumbass." She said, pulling back and wiping her tears. "Where the hell were you all night?"

"Uh…Deaton…not just a vet." He shrugged. "He got the bullet out and patched me up."

"Seriously? I always knew he knew something." Scarlett said with narrowed eyes. She looked up at Scott again when she remembered something. "Where's Derek? Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

Scott frowned at her eagerness to see Derek. He really wasn't fond of this…friendship, they had going on. They barely knew each other. "I don't know. I need to go find him." Scott sighed, letting her out of his grip.

"Scott?" Stiles called, walking up the stairs.

"And Stiles is gonna help…In here!" He shouted back.

"Y-you let Derek be taken?" Scarlett asked, cocking a brow at him.

"I got shot. He ran out into gunfire so I could get away. I didn't let him get taken." Scott countered.

"I swear to God, if he's dead-"

"He's not dead." Scott said as Stiles walked in. Scarlett took a deep breath and she let herself have faith in Scott. Sure, all she could think about was Derek but she didn't want to let them know that so she put on a brave face to conceal her true emotions.

"Stiles, help me find my phone." Scott said, leaving the room and Scarlett.

She quickly got up and made her bed before getting dressed and ready for the day. And what a sucky day it would be if they didn't find Derek soon.

When she was ready she walked into Scott's room where Stiles was sitting on a chair and Scott was tearing the room apart looking for his phone.

"Call it again." Scott said.

"Look, it isn't here." Stiles sighed. Scarlett walked in further and sat on Scott's bed. "So, you lost your phone. Why don't you just get a new one?"

"He can't afford that." Scarlett said at the same time as Scott said "I can't afford that." They gave each other a look before Scott continued his frantic search.

"I can't do this alone. We have to find Derek."

"Well, A, you're not alone…you have me and Scar and B, didn't you say Derek walked into gunfire? He sounds pretty dead to me." Stiles said.

"He's not dead." Scarlett protested, glaring at Stiles.

"Scar's right. The Argent's are just using him to get the Alpha. They're not gonna kill him."

"Well, him getting tortured really isn't any better." Scarlett muttered, sick to her stomach at the thought of Derek being tortured. Especially if it was by Kate. She seemed particularly nasty. Not to mention she hated the fact they had a past together.

"Who cares? Let them do what their plan is. You know, they use Derek to get Peter. Problem solved." Stiles said. To anyone else it would've sounded pretty reasonable but to the McCall twins it sounded like the worst plan ever.

"No way are we doing that." Scarlett snapped.

"Why not?" Stiles questioned.

"Because what do you think they're going to do to Derek once they catch Peter?"

"Well, what does it matter? Then they'll both be dead and we're home free. Killing two birds with one stone and all that."

"So you're completely fine with just letting Derek be slaughtered? After everything he's done to help us…to help Scott?"

"_Help us_? Scar, the guy's a maniac!"

"No he isn't." Scarlett protested.

"Look, I can't let Peter use Allison to find Derek. I can't protect her on my own so I need Derek's help, ergo we can't let Derek die and we need to find him first." Scott explained, finally interrupting Stiles and Scarlett's bickering. "Just… help me!" He exclaimed, getting frustrated by the fact he couldn't find his phone.

"You probably lost it when you two were fighting. Remember that? When he was trying to kill you? After you interrupted him killing Jackson? Are you starting to see a pattern of violent behaviour here?" Stiles ranted.

"He wasn't going to kill anyone. Why do you find that so hard to believe?" Scarlett asked.

Stiles was about to answer but Scott interrupted him again. "I'm not letting him die."

"Could you at least think about letting him die?" Stiles asked quietly. "For me?" Scarlett rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at his head as hard as she could. "Ah, what the hell?"

"Shh." Scott said, listening intently to something.

"What is it?" Scarlett asked.

"Mom just got home from work." It was silent between the three teens as Scott listened in to Melissa leaving a voicemail.

"Is she okay?" Stiles asked after a while. Scott shook his head and Scarlett began to worry.

"What's she doing Scott?" She asked quietly.

"Crying." He said sadly. Scarlett felt her mood dampen even more. She hated when her mom cried. It was heart breaking to watch or even listen to. She hadn't done it in so long but when she used to, Scarlett would always sit with her and hug her along with Scott until she felt better.

Scott sighed and took a seat next to Scarlett who leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Scott…you can't protect everyone." Stiles said softly.

"I hate to admit it but he's right Scotty." Scarlett agreed.

"I have to." Scott said simply.

* * *

The three of them spent the rest of the day searching for Derek but to no avail. Their searching had been completely useless. The hunters, or just Kate rather, had him locked away somewhere only she knew existed.

When they got back home, Scarlett almost had another nervous breakdown. The fact that she didn't know anything about where Derek was or even if he was still living was killing her. She had become so emotionally attached to him and she didn't even care. This constant state of not knowing had made her realise just how much he meant to her. How much she _missed_ him. And that was saying something considering it had only been a day.

She decided upon doing some homework instead of moping around but as she was doing her History report all she could think about was Derek. She wondered if he felt the same way about her. Was he wishing that he could be with her like she was wishing she could be with him? Or was she only telling herself that because it made her feel better? Probably the latter.

With all of her confusing, romantic, thoughts she forgot about her homework and eventually just fell asleep with her head on the desk.

"Scarlett, sweetie." Melissa shook her daughter's sleeping form. She murmured something and shrugged Melissa's hand off. "Come on Scar…you're gonna be late." When that didn't work she got really close to her ear and shouted. "Wake the hell up Scarlett!"

Scarlett jumped and ended up falling out of her chair. She groaned in pain and Melissa laughed, helping her up.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Scarlett asked as she yawned.

"Uh, because you have school in an hour."

Scarlett's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten that she had school. "Crap." She muttered, gathering all of her homework off of the desk and shoving it into her bag.

"Why were you asleep on your desk?" Melissa asked, looking for something to tidy up. She was so used to picking clothes up off of Scott's floor that it had become second nature but there was literally nothing out of place in Scarlett's room. Thank God that she had one tidy child.

"I don't know. I was tired." Scarlett shrugged, heading into the bathroom, leaving Melissa to sigh and shake her head before leaving the room.

* * *

"So who are you going to the Formal with?" Scarlett asked Lydia as they sat next to each other at lunch.

"A guy from the team." She answered nonchalantly.

"And this guy doesn't have a name?" Scarlett gave her an incredulous look.

"Why would I need to know his name?" Lydia asked innocently. Scarlett gave her a look and then sighed, picking at her salad.

"Hey." Allison greeted them as she sat down.

"Hi." They replied at the same time.

"What are we talking about?" Allison asked.

"Uh, the Formal. Who's going with whom and all that jazz." Scarlett answered.

"Well, we all know who Allison's going with…" Lydia said, giving Allison a cold look.

"We're going as friends. That's it. You don't have to be jealous." Allison told her.

"I'm not jealous." Lydia replied a little too quickly before moving the spotlight on to Scarlett. "And I expect you'll be bringing your mystery boy…" She said with a smirk.

"What mystery boy?" Allison asked, leaning forward. Scarlett rolled her eyes at both of them.

"Oh my God, there is no boy. How many times do I have to tell you?" She asked, getting a little tired of Lydia's constant questioning. There was no boy. Well, not really…there was always Derek. But they weren't together and he was missing and just, no. He was not some secret boyfriend of hers. Yeah, nobody knew about them having sex and nobody knew that they kissed sometimes but that was for good reason. Scott would completely flip if he ever found out and so would anyone else for that matter considering everyone thought Derek was a murderer.

"Until it isn't true anymore." Lydia said.

"Well if you aren't going with this mystery guy then who are you going with?" Allison questioned with a puzzled look.

Scarlett shrugged. "I'll go by myself. No big deal."

"Oh, no, no, no. No best friend of mine will be going to that dance without a date." Lydia said, sounding offended that Scarlett would even suggest such a thing as going alone. She didn't really care that much. It was just a dance and honestly, she'd much rather stay at home but then Lydia would flip shit even more so and she didn't want to deal with that. A few people had already asked her but she didn't really know any of them so she wasn't too keen on saying yes. Plus, the boys that had asked her were airhead jocks that were too much like Jackson for her liking.

"Well, I am so suck it up." Scarlett shrugged before ditching her food, grabbing her bag and walking out of the cafeteria. She didn't want to have to talk about the Formal or even be in school when Derek was out there probably being tortured in the most horrendous ways possible. She should be looking for him and so should Scott. And when she thought about it, she didn't want to spend time with some random guy. The only person she wanted to go on a date with was Derek and that seemed so completely unrealistic that it was laughable. She and Derek as a couple were just not going to happen and she had to get that through her head before she made herself even more upset.

* * *

As the girls walked through Macy's Scarlett noticed that Allison seemed a little distracted.

"What's wrong?" She asked as they stepped onto the escalator. Allison looked at her and sighed.

"Nothing's wrong…I just have a lot on my mind." She shrugged.

"You could smile, at least." Lydia added in. "Ever hear the saying 'never frown: someone could be falling in love with your smile'?"

Allison and Scarlett both let out a small laugh at that. Scarlett thought it was a good saying and she also believed it to be very true.

"Not to mention frowning provokes wrinkles…" Scarlett teased, bumping Allison's shoulder.

"Oh come on. Smile, Allison. I'm buying you a dress." Lydia said cheerily.

"I have to admit as far as apologies go, that's more than I expected." Allison admitted. "But it's not as much as I'm going to ask."

Scarlett and Lydia both gave her confused looks. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lydia asked.

"It means that you're going to cancel on whatever dumb jock you said yes to and you are going to go with someone else."

"Who?" Lydia asked as they got off the escalator.

Allison turned to look at the perfume counter, where Stiles was spraying a random perfume into his face, and she smirked. "Him."

Scarlett laughed and then bit her lip at the look on Lydia's face.

"Oh…don't frown Lydia. Someone could be falling in love with your smile." Scarlett smirked at her before walking off to the dress section with Allison while Lydia went to talk to Stiles.

"You know, that was actually really sweet of you Allison." Scarlett smiled at her as they raked through all the dresses.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. Stiles has been in love with Lydia since the third grade so I know he's gonna be super stoked about going to the dance with her…you played the whole apology card very well."

"I guess it's just natural talent." Allison shrugged, smiling at Scarlett. None of the dresses were really catching Scarlett's eye so she decided that she would go and look at some other ones that were further away.

"Hey, Allison, do you mind if I go check out the dresses over there?" She asked. Allison looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, of course. I'm liking these colours so I'm gonna stay here." Scarlett nodded and walked over to a rack full of blue dresses. She liked blue, it suited her.

She took out a few and made faces at them, pondering whether or not she actually liked them. She could always just try them on…or, she could forget buying a new dress and wear the one she got the other day. The one that Derek liked. Although, it was more casual and she was going to a Formal so…she got rid of that idea. She sighed and looked over the rack to see Allison talking to someone. And when that someone turned around she saw that it was Peter.

"Shit." Scarlett swore, ducking behind the dresses. Why the hell was he there? It was like nowhere was safe for her anymore. She felt a little bad about leaving Allison by herself but she knew that Peter wouldn't kill her. One, because he needed her to help him find Derek apparently and two, because if Stiles was there then she had no doubt in her mind that Scott was there as well. He'd find a way to get Allison out of there.

She peered through the clothing and then she heard an announcement saying that Allison's car was going to get towed. And of course, that must have been Scott's doing. Allison swore and Scarlett watched as she hurried away from Peter, who was left scowling.

Scarlett sighed in relief. So he no longer had a reason to be there and he didn't see her. She could live another day.

"Get off the floor Scarlett. It's dirty." She froze and looked up slowly at Peter's outstretched hand. What a fucking joke.

She fixed him with a cold, hard, glare, ignoring his hand and getting up by herself. "Can I help you?" She asked him rudely.

"You know, you should be a little nicer to me. After all, I could end your life right now." He said with a shrug.

She looked at him incredulously. "You're not gonna kill me here. Not with all of these people around."

He sighed and let his eyes wander while he spoke. "You see Scarlett, you keep calling my bluff and honestly, I was led to believe you were smarter than that…"

"But you are bluffing because if you wanted me dead, I would be dead but here I am…still breathing." She told him boldly.

"I like you." He said, pointing at her causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Come again?"

"You have a fire about you…you're brave. Braver than you think you are. You'd make an excellent werewolf."

"Still not gonna happen."

"Well, not right now. But maybe sometime in the future…and that's why I'm not going to kill you. I believe that destroying a soul as beautiful as yours would be somewhat of a tragedy." He said charmingly. She was happy that he was letting her live but she didn't like the way he was speaking about everything. It kind of frightened her more than his death threat.

"Okay, so you aren't going to kill me. Any reason you're still here?" She asked, wanting him to leave her alone. He narrowed his eyes and turned away from her to look at the dress rack, pulling out a navy coloured dress that was actually really cute.

"This one." He said, examining it and handing it to her. She took it cautiously but her gaze never left him. "Derek would like it." He smirked.

"How would you know what Derek likes?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You seem to forget that I am his uncle."

"Yeah, his uncle who's been in a coma…for six years." She added on as an afterthought.

"Oh come on, how much could his taste have changed since then? It's showy. He'd go crazy if he saw you in it." He shrugged.

"Well what a shame that he won't considering, you know, he's been locked up." She said, her mood going even sourer. "How's your search of him going by the way? You know, you being the Alpha and all, I thought you would've have found him by now." She taunted him.

He clenched his jaw and stared her down. "Goodbye Scarlett." He said before disappearing. She shivered and walked off to find Lydia and Allison and buy the dress. Peter may have been a psycho but, he had good taste.

* * *

Scarlett admired how good the dress looked on her as she stood in front of her mirror. It was a sleeveless skater dress so it didn't look tight and tacky which was good. It was a little on the shorter side but she didn't mind that much because the heels she bought made her legs look amazing anyway. She guessed Peter was right, it was showy but she liked it.

When she heard a knock on the door she looked away from her reflection and looked at her mom who took in the dress and her hair and makeup before smiling.

"Holy cleavage." Melissa joked, giving the sweetheart neckline a weary look.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Scarlett panicked, looking down and pulling it up as much as she could.

"I'm kidding Scar. You look beautiful…so who's the lucky guy?" She asked, giving her a kiss on the nose.

"Actually, I'm flying solo tonight." Scarlett shrugged, putting in her earrings and making sure every curl of her hair was perfect.

"Really? You as well?" Melissa asked with wide eyes.

"I take it Scott doesn't have a date either?" Melissa shook her head. "Great, well then he can drive."

The two of them left Scarlett's room and walked downstairs where Scott was readjusting his tie. Scarlett walked up to him and pinched his cheek.

"Aw, look at you…all handsome." She cooed. He swatted her hand away and gave her a small glare.

"You, uh, you look nice Scar. Who's your date?" He asked.

"You." She shrugged.

"What?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Chill dumbass. This isn't incest or anything you're just driving me there. I don't have a date." She said simply.

"Picture!" Melissa shouted, making the two of them give her a look.

"Really?" They asked at the same time.

"Really." She smiled, holding the camera up. She took a picture of them for every event they ever went to. The two of them linked arms, like always, and gave their best smiles. Melissa took a couple of pictures before telling them she was done. "Perfect."

Scott grabbed the keys and walked to the door with Scarlett following behind him.

"Have fun you two!" Melissa shouted from the door as they walked out to the car. Scarlett looked back and smiled before getting in the car.

When they got to the school they both jumped out of the car and Scarlett began walking over to where she saw Lydia and Allison but she stopped when Scott started going the other way.

"Scott!" She hissed. "Where the hell are you going?"

"Well, I'm actually not supposed to be here. If Coach catches me…I'm dead." He shrugged.

"Then why are you- Allison." She answered her own question. He gave a sheepish smile and she sighed. "Don't get caught then." She winked and he ran off while she walked over to her friends.

Surprisingly, Jackson was the first one to greet her, not failing to check her out while doing so. "Looking good McCall."

"Hugo Boss?" She asked, referring to his suit. He had always worn a Hugo Boss suit whenever they had a dance.

"Of course." He said simply.

"You look really beautiful Scar." Allison complimented her.

"As do you Allison." She smiled back before she started walking with the two of them. They walked up to Stiles and Lydia.

"Jackson…you look handsome." Lydia said with a small smile. Scarlett could tell it was killing her that Jackson was there with Allison.

"Obviously. It's Hugo Boss." He said before walking off with Allison. Scarlett sighed and turned to Lydia and Stiles.

"I don't care. I don't want compliments. I will not fall prey to society's desire to turn girls into insecure neurotics who pull up their dresses at the first flattering remark." Lydia said to herself.

"Well, I think you look beautiful." Stiles told her, making Scarlett's heart melt a little bit. They were cute together and Lydia was lucky to have someone like Stiles that cared about her. She needed someone like him. He was much better for her than Jackson was.

"You guys look good together." Scarlett said softly, earning small smiles from both of them. Stiles held out his arm for Lydia and she happily took it. Scarlett smiled at their retreating forms. Then the reality that she would actually have to get through the night hit her. She would have to waste her time there while Derek was still out there. Why the hell did this have to happen? She just wanted to know that Derek was alive…was that so much to ask?

After turning down two offers to dance, Scarlett finally decided that she needed a drink. A real drink. She walked over to where Jackson was standing with Danny and Danny's boyfriend and swiftly took the bottle of vodka out of his hands; taking a gulp and letting the alcohol burn her throat.

"Rough night?" Jackson asked, taking the bottle back.

"The roughest." She replied.

"Hey Scarlett do you wanna-"

"No." She cut off the random lacrosse player that was about to ask her to dance.

"It could be fun…" He said, not taking the hint that she didn't want to fucking dance with anyone.

"Get lost man." Danny said to him, picking up on Scarlett's shitty mood.

"Thank you Danny." She said, giving him a small smile.

"No problem." He said, walking away with his boyfriend. Scarlett left them and found Stiles and Lydia sitting at a table.

"How long is this supposed to go on for?" She asked Lydia who shrugged in response. The three of them sat there for a while before they saw Jackson and Allison starting to dance right in front of them.

"Do you wanna dance?" Stiles asked Lydia.

"Pass." She said, looking away.

"You know what, let me try that again." He said, standing up. "Lydia, get up off your cute little ass and dance with me."

Scarlett was a little taken aback by his forwardness but in her head she was applauding him. She didn't know Stiles had it in him.

"Interesting tactic…but I'm gonna stick with no."

"Oh come on Lyds." Scarlett muttered in her ear. "Go dance with him."

"Lydia! Get up, okay? You're gonna dance with me. I don't care that you made out with my best friend for some weird power thing, I don't know. Lydia, I've had a crush on you since the third grade and I know that somewhere inside of that cold…lifeless exterior there's an actual human soul and I'm also pretty sure that I'm the only one who knows how smart you really are. Uh-huh, and that once you're done pretending to be a nitwit you'll eventually go off and write some insane mathematical theorem that wins you the Nobel Prize." Stiles finally finished. Scarlett wiped away the tear that had fallen from her eye…that was so beautiful. Goddamn vodka.

"Field's Medal." Lydia said quietly.

"What?"

She stood up and walked to Stiles. "Nobel Prize isn't a prize for mathematics. The Field's Medal's the one I'll be winning." Scarlett beamed at the sight of them walking off together. She wanted a Stiles, she thought as she leaned her head on her hand. No. She wanted a Derek. She wanted _her_ Derek… Wow, that vodka really was getting to her.

Her head snapped up as she heard Coach shout 'McCall." She watched as he made his way through the sea of students to get to Scott who was running around in the shadows. Scarlett got up and hurried over to where Scott was and she watched from the side lines as he made Danny get up and start dancing with him.

"McCall! You're not sup- what the hell are you…" Coach asked, pointing at Scott as the music stopped playing and the whole gym turned their attention to them. "The hell are you doing?"

"Yes, Coach?" Scott asked, putting his arms around Danny even more. Scarlett bit her lip to stop the laugh that wanted to escape.

"Okay…h-h-hold…" Coach started laughing before he stopped and talked again. "Hold on you can't – I was just saying he's not supposed…I mean, I wasn't saying that he should- and you guys don't think- uh, you-you don't, I was just…dance everybody! Just dance! It's a dance! It's a party!" He started laughing like a mad man again before the band started up again.

Scarlett watched as Jackson stumbled out of the gym and against her better judgement, she followed him. He was drunk and he was going to end up hurting himself or somebody else and it's not like she had anything better to do.

"Hey, Jackson!" She called, hurrying down the steps towards him. He stopped and looked at something in the woods across the road. She looked at him and the looked in the direction of his gaze, seeing a pair of growing red dots that looked very similar to eyes. She kept watching and she didn't realise Jackson was heading over there before he was halfway across the road. "Shit." She swore, running after him. Considering the height of her heels she almost tripped but she managed to keep her balance until she got to him. Then she clung onto his arm, trying to pull him back. "Seriously Jackson, do not go in there!"

It was no use, he shrugged her hand off and walked in. "I know you're here! Come on!" He shouted, falling to his knees. Scarlett rolled her eyes and helped him get back up.

"Jackson, you don't know what you're doing. Please just come back to the school." She didn't know why she was risking her life for him but she wasn't just going to leave him.

"No, this is my chance. I-I wanna be like you. I wanna be one of you."

Scarlett squinted as the red beams of light came closer and she didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified when she saw that the red light was from Chris Argent's and another hunter's guns. "Fuck." She cursed under her breath.

"Unfortunately Jackson I don't think I can give you what you want." Mr Argent said, walking closer to them both. Scarlett shrank back a bit, trying to swallow back her fear. "But I have a feeling you might be able to help me." He said, looking straight at Scarlett.

Mr Argent helped Jackson get up and Jackson took a step closer to Scarlett.

"Walk with me." The two teens started walking back towards the school with Argent and the other hunter. When they were near the road again he stopped them. "How about you tell me which one of your friends is a werewolf."

Scarlett's eyes widened and she could feel Jackson tense up next to her. "Werewolf?" Scarlett let out a fake laugh. "You honestly believe in-"

"Cut the crap Scarlett. You're supposed to be a smart girl. Why don't you just tell me while I'm asking nicely?"

"You know, I'm getting really sick of people telling me I'm supposed to be smart." She muttered, earning a questioning look from Allison's father. "Look, I have no clue what you're talking about. I don't believe in werewolves. Come on Jackson." She said, gripping his arm and walking forward. She froze when she heard a gun being cocked though.

"How about you tell me or he shoots her?" She heard Mr Argent say behind her. It was the other hunter that was holding a gun to her.

"I-uh," Jackson stammered, eyes locking on the gun that was pointed at the back of Scarlett's head.

"Don't say anything Jackson. He isn't gonna shoot me." She said boldly, hoping that she was right.

"What makes you think I won't?" They guy asked.

"Because, then you'll have murdered a human teenage girl. Doesn't that kind of go against your job of being a _werewolf_ hunter? Not to mention, that Mr Argent would be letting you kill his daughter's best friend. You don't think that's gonna raise a few questions with Allison?" She asked, trying to be smart about everything.

"What's one dead body if it saves the lives of a handful of others?" Argent asked and Jackson watched him tell the other guy to shoot.

"Wait!" Jackson shouted.

"Jackson." Scarlett warned. He was going to tell them about Scott and if he did that then they would all be dead.

Mr Argent told the other guy to lower the gun. "What is it Jackson?"

"It's Scott McCall. He's the one you want." Jackson admitted, immediately feeling like shit but he wasn't just going to let Scarlett get shot in cold blood.

"Thank you Jackson." Mr Argent said. Scarlett clenched her jaw and her fists. He did it. He sold her brother out. She had to find Scott and tell him.

"You-you're not gonna hurt him, are you?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. We'll handle everything."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"You go back to the dance and you be normal teenagers." Mr Argent shrugged.

Scarlett spun around and glared at him. "You are not laying a finger on my brother." She growled at him.

"Scarlett, you have to understand that you and your friends will be safer when he's gone."

"Bullshit! Scott hasn't hurt anyone. He's a teenage boy. Don't you people have some kind of law against the killing of non-adult werewolves?"

"We're not gonna kill Scott." He said simply before walking away. Scarlett's heart started pounding in her chest and all she could think about was finding Scott and warning him. She made for the school but Jackson stopped her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To warn my brother whom, by the way, you've just sold out in case you had forgotten." She said, turning around again.

"Was I just supposed to let you get shot?!" He shouted.

"You were supposed to not betray Scott. Especially when he was the one who saved your life." Scarlett shook her head at him and ran up to the school. Jackson followed behind a lot slower.

Scarlett quite literally shoved people out of her way, shouting for Scott. He was nowhere to be found and she was getting frustrated. Where the hell was he? It's not as if the gym was a big place, he had to be somewhere. Her search started to become frantic and she could feel tears stinging her eyes but she pushed them back. After a few minutes of not being able to find Scott, she realised that Allison wasn't there either. Holy shit. Did he really have to run off with the daughter of the man who wanted him dead or whatever?

She ran out of the gym and bumped into Stiles who was running in the opposite direction. They both stopped and looked at each other.

"Where are you going?" She asked breathlessly.

"To find Lydia." He said. "Come with me!"

"I can't! I need to find Scott." She replied. Stiles took a breath before nodding and continuing to run out the front entrance of the school while Scarlett ran out the back.

"Scott!" She shouted as she pushed the doors open. "Shit!" Scott was jumping from one of the buses and there were two cars facing each other between the two buses. She watched as Scott started running away from the school and into the woods and she kicked off her heels, running after him as fast as she could. Thank the fucking lord for the years that she did track.


	11. Chapter 11: Perfect Place To Start

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Okay so somewhere along the lines I messed something up and despite this saying it's chapter 11 it is in fact chapter 12 and the finale of season 1. Fear not, I am well into writing season 2 so there won't be a dead long wait for the next update (yay!) Anyway, I'd like to say how freaking amazed I am that this story had over 100 followers! Thank you guys so much and remember to favourite and review as well because I love to hear your thoughts! **

**Enjoy...**

* * *

It didn't hurt her feet as much as Scarlett thought it would when she ran through the woods. She would probably have a few cuts afterwards but nothing major.

When she finally found Scott he was lying on his stomach, screaming into the leaves. Her heart broke as she quickly made her way over to him, falling to her knees and helping him up slightly so she could hug him. He held onto her as tightly as possible and it hurt a little bit but she ignored the pain and she let him cry into her hair.

"It's okay Scott…it's okay." She reassured him, tightening her grip around him.

"No." He sobbed. "It's not…" At the sound of him so broken she couldn't hold back the few tears that slipped from her eyes. She couldn't be crying. She needed to be the strong one. Screwing her eyes shut, she pushed back all of the oncoming tears and cleared her throat.

"What happened?" She asked, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. "You can tell me Scotty."

"Allison…she knows." He cried out. That was exactly what Scarlett didn't want to hear. It was the thing she feared most. Just above Allison becoming a hunter. Above everything else because she knew that Allison finding out and rejecting him would be what broke him. And she never wanted Scott to break because she didn't know how she would be able to handle that. All her life, she and Scott had always depended on one another. They were there for each other like siblings should be. And that meant if one of them went down then they both went down. She had always believed that and so had he. There were no ifs or buts. At least, there wasn't supposed to be. Scarlett still believed that the two of them had an unbreakable bond, even though they didn't always see eye to eye. She would never give up on him. And so there they were; with Scott at his breaking point and Scarlett there to comfort him and be his rock, like she always had been.

"Hey," She said, leaning back a bit. Scott still kept looking down, letting small sobs escape him. "Hey! Look at me." He slowly looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes that were full of pain and sadness. "This isn't the end of the world."

"It might as well be."

"Shut up. Do you love her?" She asked sternly.

"More than anything." _No offence taken. Well, maybe some._

Scarlett ignored the slight sting and she pushed away the horrid jealousy and accepted that the fact that of course he loved Allison more than her. She just had to hold onto the fact that they had a stronger, deeper bond than the two lovers did. "And does she love you?" Scott didn't answer. He looked unsure. "Scott, I think we both know the answer to that."

"Yes. She loves me." He said, with a stronger voice than before.

"Then she'll accept this. She isn't just going to fall out of love with you because you happen to shift into a wolf-man every full moon. Give her a little more credit than that. And if she's half the girl I think she is then she'll say 'screw you' to her family and she won't stay away from you just because they tell her to." Scarlett really wanted to believe everything that she was telling him. If she believed it then he would believe it and that's what needed to happen. She needed him to get through this and that's why her main priority at the moment was Scott.

Scott straightened up a bit and he seemed to lose some of the heartbreak in his eyes. "You're right." He said simply.

"Damn right I'm right." She said, getting up. "Now, we have to get the hell out of the woods." She helped Scott to his feet and the two of them started walking to the animal clinic that was the closest place of shelter to go.

When they got there, Scott found the spare key and opened it up so they could go and sit inside.

* * *

After a while of sitting in silence, staring into space Scott spoke up. "We need to find Derek. Like…now."

Scarlett silently jumped for joy. If Scott actually put his mind to it, she was confident they would find him. She wanted to find him, so badly and she wanted to help Scott as well but now that he was feeling a bit better, they could work together and find Derek and then everyone would be happy. She craved Derek, everything about him, and she couldn't think of anything better than finding him. "I'm up for that. What do we do?"

"I don't kn-" All of a sudden the dogs in the back room started barking like crazy making Scarlett jump.

"What the hell?" She mumbled.

Scott seemed to have some sort of epiphany and Scarlett raised a brow at him. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"They're barking…howling. And, a wolf howls to signal it's location to the rest of the pack, right?"

"I guess..." She said, not knowing where he was going with that. Scott gave her a look and then gave her a second to figure it out. "Oh!" Her eyes widened. "You howl and if Derek howls back you'll be able to find him?"

"Exactly." Scott nodded. Scarlett beamed with happiness and she jumped up.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" She asked, pulling him up as well. He rolled his eyes and the two of them left the clinic, locking it up quickly and then running to Look Out Point.

* * *

"Alright, do your thing." Scarlett said, gesturing to the big rock on the cliff edge that looked out over all of Beacon Hills. Scott nodded and climbed up it, shifting just before he got the top.

Scarlett felt a shiver run through her as she listened to Scott howl. It was low and loud. Like the one he did at the school. The one that drew the Alpha to them. The one that made the Alpha, well Peter, almost kill Derek…which then led to Scarlett and Derek having sex. Which happened to be one of the best nights of her life. Oh how she wished they could do it again. She wouldn't even care if he rejected her again. She would be pissed afterwards, obviously, but she just wanted to be able to feel him again. Be as intimate as possible with him. Feel the warmth that radiated off of him, tremble as he touched her. She wanted to feel the softness of his lips against hers and his gentle caress and everything that he had done to her that night…but more.

"Scar." Scott snapped his fingers in front of her face making her jump and snap out of her little fantasy about Derek.

"What?"

"It didn't work." She immediately felt depressed. That could only mean that he either didn't hear it or he was too dead to respond. She cringed at the second option and quickly banished it from her mind. There was no way in hell Derek was dead. He was not the kind of guy that would go easily.

Scott's head snapped back up and he listened intently to the howl that just ripped through the cool night air.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Scarlett asked right before she heard the howl as well. Her eyes widened and she kept listening as the sound was like music to her ears. She thought she was going to burst of excitement but she didn't have time as Scott grabbed her and practically flung her on his back.

"Don't let go." He warned her before taking off running at top speed. She clung on as tightly as possible, burying her face in jacket as the wind whipped past them. She was scared to look up and she tightened her grip. Her stomach dropped as Scott jumped and they basically flew through the air. Crap. She had never had a stranger experience. That trumped everything. She was on her brother's back as he was running on all fours through the woods as fast as a freaking sports car.

Scott let another howl rip through him and the noise vibrated throughout his body and Scarlett could actually feel it, not just hear it.

They slowly came to a stop and Scott told Scarlett it was okay to let go. She did just that and jumped off his back, looking up to see they were at the Hale House.

"He's _here_?" She asked with a look of utter confusion.

"Not in the house…under it." Scott told her, turning around and walking a bit further into the woods where he came to an entrance, not so well hidden.

"He's in there?" Scarlett asked, looking at the iron bars that reminded her of some cheesy horror movie.

"Yeah, stay close." Scott said, pushing open the door and walking through it. Scarlett took a deep breath before following him.

There was a long brick tunnel that had dim lights lining the wall and gave the whole place a very eerie feel. The two of them made their way through it cautiously. Scarlett kept checking behind her to make sure there was no one there because she was paranoid.

When they got to the end of the dark tunnel, they faced a big, metal, sliding door. Scott looked around for a way to open it and Scarlett rolled her eyes before going to the latch.

"Scott?" She said, giving him a blank look as she pulled back the door.

"Oh…" Scott said, walking into the room. He stopped when he saw Derek. Scarlett walked in next and stopped beside him, gasping.

Derek was chained up to metal bars and the wires that were connected to something that looked like it generated electricity. _Holy shit_… had they been electrocuting him? The thought made Scarlett completely furious and she felt she was going to have some sort of a violent outburst but instead she ran up to Derek, touching his face softly. He looked up slowly and she was relieved to see he was actually alive.

"Hey…" She said, not knowing what else to say in that unusual situation.

"How do we get you out?" Scott asked, pushing Scarlett aside slightly. She glared at him but didn't shove him out of the way. She was too happy that they had actually found Derek and he was alive and not _too_ damaged. Sure, he wasn't in the best condition but she didn't give two shits about that. Right then and there, all she cared about was getting him out and then telling him how she actually felt about him.

"Those." Derek rasped out, looking up at the shackles on his wrists. Scott got one of them undone before he heard someone coming and he grabbed Scarlett's arm, heading to the back of the room.

Scarlett watched in silence as a big, tough looking guy walked in and turned on the spotlight, shining it on Derek.

"You ready for some more fun?" That made Scarlett's blood boil but she kept quiet. How dare anyone lay a finger on him? "To be honest, my knuckles are kind of hurting…so I brought a little help." The man said, holding up a baseball bat.

He went to swing it at Derek but Derek caught it with his free hand. "Yeah, well so did I."

The guy looked back with a shocked face and saw Scott standing there before Derek punched him and he fell to the ground, out cold. Derek ripped off the patch of wires and then looked at the other shackle.

"Scott, help me with this." He said. Scott didn't do anything though; he just walked forward and gave Derek a dark look while Scarlett stood to the side.

"No."

"What?"

"Not until you tell me how to stop Peter." Scott said. Scarlett gave her brother an incredulous look and rolled her eyes.

"Then I'll help him." She said, walking forward to Derek until Scott grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip making her yelp slightly.

"Let her go Scott." Derek said angrily.

"She's not helping you either. Look, Peter is going after Allison and her family. He's going to kill them."

"So what?!" Derek snapped. Not only pissed that Scott wasn't helping him but because he still had a grip on Scarlett's wrist and she looked like she was in pain.

"So tell me how to stop him." Scott said.

"You can't! Alright?" Derek said, trying in vain to get out of the other shackle. "I don't know when Kate's coming back so you have to get me out of this right now! Get me out right now!" He shouted, making Scarlett jump slightly.

"Jesus Scott, just let him out!" Scarlett said. She was not in the mood for Scott to be a drama queen. Yeah, she had told him all that inspirational stuff to help him get through it but now, she wanted to help the guy she cared about and Scott wasn't letting her do that.

"Not until he promises to help protect Allison."

"You want me to risk my life for your girlfriend, huh? For your stupid little teenage crush that means absolutely nothing?!" Was he saying that because Allison was an Argent or did he really believe that because they were teenagers, it wasn't love, it was only some crush that would pass over time? If that's what he thought then the chance of Scarlett telling him anything about the way she felt was shot to hell. "You're not in love Scott! You're sixteen years old, you're a child!"

Oh that was complete bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. Scarlett refused to believe that Derek thought that. Because if he did believe that being sixteen meant they were children then he would've never screwed her or even kissed her.

She looked at Derek, the hurt clear in her eyes and he could only look at her for a split second before he felt like shit. That was the wrong thing to say and he knew it. Of course she thought that he was talking about her and in a way he was, but he really only meant it about Scott. Scarlett was much more mature than Scott was and he didn't see her as a child. Not at all, but it had definitely seemed that way.

"Maybe your right." Scott said solemnly. "But I know something you don't. Peter said he didn't know what he was doing when he killed your sister right? He lied." He let go of Scarlett's wrist and she cradled it to her chest while he took out a piece of paper. "Remember this? This is what brought your sister back to Beacon Hills right?"

"Where'd you get that?" Derek asked as Scarlett peered at the picture. It was of a dead deer with a spiral carved into its side.

"My boss told me three months ago someone came into the clinic asking for a copy of this picture. Do you wanna know who it was? Peter's nurse. They brought your sister here so that Peter could kill her and become the Alpha and that's why you're going to help me." Scott explained. Derek leaned back slightly looking angry as fuck. Scott turned around and walked away. "Just say you'll help me and I'll help you unlock-"

He turned back around when he heard the shackle break and Scarlett watched with wide eyes at the fact Derek had managed to rip it off. He walked forward and rubbed his wrist. "I'll help you."

If Derek hadn't dampened her mood by basically saying that she was a child and Scott wasn't there then she would've have jumped on him right then and there but instead of doing that she clapped her hands together. "Great. So now that we're all on the same page, can we get the hell out of here? This place is giving me the creeps." She shivered, walking past both guys and following the tunnel out.

When she made it outside, she had to wait for a while for Derek to get all of his stuff together and get a shirt back on. After a few minutes, Scott and Derek emerged from the entrance and Derek could barely stand by himself. Well, being chained up for a couple days could do that to a person. Scott ignored it and walked ahead but Scarlett, despite her shitty attitude towards Derek, helped him by putting one of his arms over her shoulders and letting him lean against her. It seemed as though she was never done doing that.

She didn't say anything as they walked but he looked at her, taking in every feature of her beautiful face. "Thanks." He said quietly. She spared a glance at him but didn't say anything. She was pissed and he knew it. He screwed up again just like every single fucking time things were going well. He had missed her and he hadn't ever felt so much joy as when he had looked up to see it was her that was coming to his rescue. Well, her and Scott. He was planning on telling her how strong his feelings were for her when they were out of there but of course, he then had to go and say that Scott was child and that had pissed her off. He would find a way to fix his mistake but he would have to do it at some other time.

"Wait, stop." Derek panted, looking around.

"What is it?" Scott asked, giving the two of them a strange look.

"Something doesn't feel right. It felt like it was-"

"Don't say too easy. People say too easy and then bad stuff happens. Do you think it was easy finding you? Getting away from Allison's dad? None of this has been easy!" Scott shouted.

"Fine." Derek sighed. "You're right."

"Thank you." Scott said just before an arrow flew through the air and landed in Derek's shoulder.

"Holy shit!" Scarlett gasped as he fell, bringing her down as well. Scott looked around before his eyes fell on Allison and Kate.

"Get behind me." Derek said to Scarlett. She gave him a confused look. How the hell was she supposed to get behind him when he was on the ground? Another arrow flew at them, hitting his leg and Scarlett jumped out of her skin. She pushed herself away from him and out of the line of oncoming arrows. She knew that only one of them could heal fast so she didn't feel completely horrible about it. "Scott! You're eyes!"

Another arrow flew at Scott and hit the tree behind him, setting off sparks like the arrow that Allison had shot that day in the woods. Scarlett looked up and peered through the trees. Her eyes widened as they saw that it actually _was_ Allison shooting the arrows. She moved back to Derek quickly and helped him yank out the arrows before the two of them jumped up and ran to Scott.

While Scarlett was trying to help Derek, he was trying to help Scott and in the end they all ended up falling. Scarlett stayed by Derek as Kate and Allison walked up to them.

"Allison, I can explain." Scott said.

"Stop lying." She said immediately.

"I was gonna tell you at the Formal…because everything I said was true and everything I did…"

"Was to protect me." Allison finished for him. "I don't believe you."

"Thank God. Now shoot him before I have to shoot myself." Kate said. Scarlett glared at her.

"You said we were just gonna catch them." Allison said. Oh for God's sakes. Was she really that naïve? Scarlett had thought she was smarter than that.

"We did that. Now we're gonna shoot them," Kate shrugged, shooting Derek twice, making Scarlett scramble backwards. "See?" Kate then looked at Scarlett and tilted her head to the side. "Oh…I should've known it was you. The two twins both involved with people they shouldn't be involved with. It was just too perfect…the adorable, innocent brown-eyed girl falling for the big bad wolf and then there's her brother…the same adorable brown-eyed werewolf falling for the young, beautiful hunter. And now, they both get killed for what?...love?"

"Wow, you must get some serious kicks out of being so psychotic." Scarlett sneered at her.

"I really do." Kate shrugged, walking closer to Scott and Allison. She pointed the gun at Scott.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked. "Kate, what are you doing?" Kate ignored her and pushed her out of the way, keeping the gun pointed at Scott. Scarlett wasn't just about to let her kill him so she got up and ran to stand in front of Scott so she was the one with the gun pointed at her head. Wow, twice in one night. That had to be some sort of record.

"Scarlett." Derek hissed at her, still trying to dig out the bullets, but she ignored him and glared at Kate.

Scarlett had a feeling she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of this one. Kate was smart and she acted on instinct. Scarlett knew she would pull the trigger without a second thought so she decided to get the truth out beforehand.

"Allison, you're my best friend but I'm gonna be blatantly honest here and say that you have been a dumb bitch." Scarlett told her honestly.

"What?" Allison asked while Kate smirked.

"Yeah. Kate here, she's the one that's been lying to you. She's the killer, not Scott and not Derek. She's the one who burned this house down with all those people inside. Bet you didn't know that, did you?"

"I-is that true?" Allison asked.

Kate ignored her and looked at Scarlett. "I admire that bravery. Standing in front of your brother, taking a bullet for him even though he's gonna get the second one in his head in just a few minutes." She smirked, putting her finger on the trigger. Scarlett braced herself but the bullet never came.

"Kate!" Someone shouted. They all turned to look at Mr Argent as he walked up to them. "I know what you did. Put the gun down."

"I did what I was told to do." Kate retorted, a small shred of fear crossing her features for a split second before her face went back to being deadly.

"No one asked you to murder innocent people. There were children in that house. Ones who were human. Look what you're doing now. You're holding a gun at a sixteen year old girl. What did she do wrong? What did her brother do wrong? There is no proof that he spilled innocent blood. We go by the code."

Kate looked at Scarlett again and pressed her finger on the trigger slightly but then Chris pulled his gun on Kate. "Put the gun down." He shot the tree behind her. "Before I put you down." All of their heads turned to the door of the house as it creaked open slowly. "Allison get back."

Scott scrambled to his feet and pushed Scarlett back as Kate aimed her gun towards the door. Scarlett ran back to Derek who was still on the ground but was attempting to stand up.

"You're an idiot." He whispered.

"I don't care." She told him.

"What is it?" Allison asked.

"It's the Alpha." Scott replied, his eyes glowing as he looked at the door where a black blur shot out of and started circling around everyone.

Peter first knocked down Chris, then Allison, so that just Kate and Scott were left standing while Scarlett and Derek remained together in the background.

"Come on!" Kate shouted, pointing her gun in every direction. "Come on!" Peter appeared behind her and grabbed her wrist, twisting it so that she dropped the gun to the ground. He then took her by her throat and threw her onto the porch where she groaned in pain. He walked up to her and dragged her inside so that they both disappeared from view causing Allison to run in after them.

Scarlett cursed and she and Scott helped Derek get up. Scott ran inside first but Derek held Scarlett back, looking her in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked in all seriousness.

"I'm fine. Just, go help Scott!" She said frantically. He nodded and ran after Scott and Scarlett then followed after them both.

When she got inside, Scott and Derek had both shifted, Kate was dead on the floor with her throat ripped out and Allison was standing looking at her dead aunt in shock. Scarlett ran to Allison and grabbed her arm.

"Let's go." She said quickly, all but dragging her out the back before the fight went down. They ran around the front of the house and Allison rushed to her father who was still unconscious.

"Dad." She said, shaking him. "Dad…" Scarlett stayed standing and looked back at the house where she could hear the sounds of them fighting and she hoped and prayed that Scott and Derek had a chance against Peter.

She jumped back when Scott got thrown through the window. "Scott!" She shouted, running over to him while Allison stayed put. The Alpha jumped out almost immediately after and Scott pushed Scarlett out of its way so that it grabbed him instead of her.

She looked back up to see Jackson and Stiles getting out of Jackson's Porsche. Stiles threw something at the Alpha and Peter caught it. When she looked closer she saw that it was a self-igniting Molotov Cocktail. Well, whatever works right?

It didn't ignite so Scott threw Allison her bow and she used an arrow to hit the bottle so that it exploded and burst into flames, lighting Peter's arm on fire. Jackson threw his next and it hit the Alpha so that he completely burst into flames.

Scarlett put her hand in front of her eyes to shield them from the bright flames. She peered behind it just in time to see the Alpha coming towards her and her eyes widened before Scott jumped up and kicked him, sending him flying backwards and away from Scarlett.

They all watched as Peter changed back into his human form. He was burned from head to toe and he fell to the ground, presumably dead.

There was a silence between them all as Allison kissed Scott, accepting the fact that he was a werewolf, just like Scarlett had said she would. Scott looked over at her quickly and she winked, giving him two thumbs up. He laughed and turned back to Allison and Scarlett got up, walking away until she saw Derek walking over to Peter. She watched as he knelt over him.

"Wait!" Scott shouted. "You said that the cure comes from the one that bit you."

Scarlett never did get to ask Derek about that but judging from the silence, it was pretty clear it wasn't true. Although, Scott didn't seem to get that.

"Derek, if you do this…I'm dead. Her father, her family…what am I supposed to do?" Scott begged. Scarlett looked at him sympathetically, wishing that Derek had never told him about the supposed cure in the first place.

Derek's clawed hand rose up and Scott shouted in protest but Derek slashed Peter's throat anyway, effectively killing him. Scarlett cringed at the sight and Derek stood up, looking back at her and Scott.

Her eyes widened as his turned red. "I'm the Alpha now."

* * *

Scarlett sighed when she got into her room. She felt lonely. Her mom was still at work and Scott had gone to Allison's house. She walked to her mirror and looked at herself. Her dress was all dirty, her hair was all over the place and her eye-makeup had smeared making her look like a racoon.

"I like this one better." She sucked in a sharp breath and bit her lip, shaking her head. She really should be used to Derek showing up at random.

His eyes raked over her when she turned around. "Really?" She asked with a smirk.

"Mhmm." He returned the smirk as she walked towards him. It didn't matter that she looked like crap because honestly, he'd never found her sexier. She bit her lip and leaned up towards him, about to kiss him before she stopped.

"Peter picked it out." She whispered, ruining the sexy mood and giggling before walking away from him to sit on her bed. "He said you'd like it…"

"Unfortunately, he was right." Derek shrugged, walking to the bed to sit next to her. That only made her move away from him again and she leaned on the wall across from the bed making him roll his eyes. God, she was a tease.

"You know, he may have had some serious issues but I honestly think we could've been shopping buddies." She admitted.

"Well, that's never gonna happen now." There was something different about him, she noticed. He seemed to have an air of confidence around him and she could only guess it was because of his new Alpha status. Not to say it was a bad thing. Confidence was sexy and on him, it was even sexier. She actually kind of liked the idea of him being the Alpha.

"Well, that's because you slashed his throat." Scarlett replied simply.

"And now I'm the Alpha." He said cockily.

"Oh yeah…" She said, pretending she had forgotten as she walked towards him again. "And what exactly does being the Alpha entail?" She asked, straddling his lap and putting both of her hands on his shoulders.

"It entails that I get to do whatever the hell I want." He smirked.

"And what is that you want?" She whispered, moving closer to his lips. He looked down and put her arms down so that he could stroke her bare skin.

"Your forgiveness." He said quietly. "All of it. I want you to forgive me for every stupid thing I've done to hurt you. I want you to believe me when I say that I'm sorry for everything. Absolutely everything. I want a clean slate with you Scar…will you give me one?" Her heart leapt at his words. They were so simple but so sweet and they meant so much to her. She didn't understand, and probably never would, why he wanted her at all but he did and she couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes. He looked at her, eyes filled with panic. "Crap, what did I do?"

She shook her head and laughed slightly. "You didn't do anything. Clean slate, remember?" She leaned in closer to him and just as their lips were about to touch Derek flipped them so that she was underneath him. Her mouth split into a dazzling smile and it was so beautiful that his heart actually skipped a beat. He bent down to her and he smashed his lips against hers. There was no chance in hell that he was ever letting her go.

Scarlett moved her mouth against his, bringing him down even closer. She was so overwhelmed with happiness that she couldn't help smiling into the kiss. Derek pulled back and returned the smile before kissing her with more passion. They both wanted to say so much to each other but instead of actually speaking the words, they put everything they had into that kiss. It was so full of affection and love that they held for each other.

Completely lost in the intensity of the kiss, Scarlett couldn't bring herself to care when Derek pushed apart her thighs and slid between them as he moved the soft material of her dress further up. She wanted this. She wanted him again and she was almost bursting with need and excitement at the thought that she was so close to getting what she wanted. She pushed him back, not breaking the kiss, so she could sit up and get his jacket off of him. When it was off, she threw it onto her floor and then helped him get his shirt off so it could join his jacket.

She smiled appreciatively at his shirtless form before he pushed her back down. Instead of putting his mouth to hers again, he trailed his lips across the cleavage that her dress so generously exposed. She let out a slight moan at the feeling of his tongue on her skin and she tangled her hands into his hair, not being able to do anything else. His hands slowly slid from her thighs into her dress. He rubbed them up and down her sides softly and smirked when she moaned again.

"As much as I love this dress, it has to go." He said, looking down at her.

"Well what are you waiting for?" She asked with a smirk.

"Do you wanna keep it?" He asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really." He shrugged, ripping the dress off of her completely, so that it was in shreds, and throwing it on the floor. Her eyes followed it before she sighed.

"I can always get a new one." She said, grabbing the back of his neck and bringing him down to her lips again. He moved from her lips again and began peppering her neck with hot, open mouthed kisses. Her mouth opened as if to moan but no sound came out as he trailed the tip of his tongue up her neck and then bit her ear, dragging his teeth down it. He found a particularly soft spot on her neck and began sucking on it which made her buck her hips in response. He began grinding his hips against hers and she bit her lip as she felt him getting hard. She used all of her strength to push him off of her so that she could straddle him.

She pressed her lips to his again while her hands moved down his chest and abs and down to the button on his jeans. Keeping their lips locked she undid the button and somehow managed to get his jeans off him completely. Feeling confident, she let her hand slide across his boxers before grabbing him, feeling how extremely hard he was.

"Scarlett." He groaned. She really would be the death of him.

"Shh." She whispered, connecting their lips again. His hands held her hips tightly, keeping her pressed down against him. Her lips moved from his down his neck and to his broad chest where she pressed open-mouthed kisses across it. She trailed her lips down further until she was back at the waistband of his boxers. She licked up his abs, making him growl slightly. That only turned her on more and she was about to pull down his boxers but he flipped them again, pinning her hands above her head.

"I'm not letting you dominate me princess." He said huskily. Even the way he said that was sexy and she couldn't help the tiny moan that escaped her lips. He grinned and ripped her bra off. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes as he drank her in and she just knew that the sex they were going to have would be fucking mind-blowing.

He got to work on her breasts and gave both of them the same treatment before deciding he couldn't wait any longer to be inside of her, making her his again. He had yanked her underwear off of her before she could even realise what he was doing and then just as quickly, he discarded his boxers. Once again, he already knew she was ready and without so much as a warning he shoved into her making her gasp.

She'd honestly forgotten just how big he was so it hurt a little bit, not to mention he didn't give her as much time to adjust before he started pounding into her. At that moment she didn't care at all. For some reason, it was exactly what she needed. It obviously wasn't his intention to hurt her but he was definitely being rougher than he was last time and she didn't know if it was because of him being the Alpha or what but she had to admit, she kind of liked it.

He had her arms pinned above her head again so there really wasn't much she could do with her hands. She locked her legs around him so she could at least hold on like that. Her hips met his at every thrust and she literally could not breathe. It was all so intense and she couldn't think properly either. All she knew was how much she loved every moment of being with Derek.

They were both extremely close and that only made Derek thrust harder. "Say you're mine." He growled at her, feeling his possessive animal instinct take over him.

"I-I…" She wasn't capable of forming words. Was he really telling her to say that she was his? Talk about possessiveness. She really wanted to be and she wanted to tell him but the words were escaping her.

"Say it." He said lowly in her ear.

"I'm yours." She whispered breathlessly. Those two words were so much more to both of them then just words. They meant something. Something they would probably end up talking about later but in that moment, it was all they both needed to completely lose themselves in each other and climax together.

Scarlett bit her lip and looked up at Derek, eyes sparkling with happiness and satisfaction. He grinned and leant down to give her a soft kiss before rolling off of her. She pondered her next move for a moment before deciding to curl up into his side and lean her head against his chest. He gave her a strange look for a moment, not really sure how to respond to that. When he came up with nothing, he decided on just putting his arm around her because it felt natural.

"Are you okay? I didn't- I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked quietly, dreading her answer. If he had then he wouldn't be able to live with himself but judging by her happy mood and still wanting to be close to him his guess was that he hadn't.

"I'm…great." She sighed. "I probably won't be able to walk properly for a few days but it was worth it."

Her words made Derek's ego inflate massively. Not only was he the Alpha but he also had Scarlett and she actually wanted him and was willing to forgive him, which was something he still couldn't believe. He would happily accept it though. If she was with him and safe and happy then nothing could bring him down. She really was like the sun to him. From his point of view, she radiated light and her smile was so warm and she always seemed to be glowing and she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Scarlett?" She changed the position of her head so that she could look up at him with her big doe eyes.

"Derek?" He would never get tired of the way his name sounded coming from her mouth.

"I have to tell you something. Something that you need to hear." He said, making her heart drop.

"What is it?" She asked quietly, afraid of the answer. Afraid that he was going to leave her.

"You…" He began, teasing her slightly. Scarlett held her breath and prepared herself for whatever he was going to say. "Are the most amazingly beautiful creature I have ever met."

She let out the breath she was holding and rolled her eyes, hitting his chest and making him laugh. "Don't do that to me you idiot!" She said, getting up and finding Derek's shirt so that she wasn't completely naked. He got up as well and put his boxers back on before walking towards her, putting his hands on her hips.

"You get wound up way too easily." He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her. Wow, this whole Alpha thing had really changed him. Since when was Derek all cute and cuddly?

"I do not!" She gasped exaggeratedly.

"Apparently you do."

"Only because you made it sound like you were gonna say something horrible and then it turned out to be, oddly enough, the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." She said, not being able to help the smile that graced her lips at the end. "Except for the whole creature part. I mean, I'm not the werewolf here."

"Actually I'm-"

"An Alpha." She sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I get it; you're a big shot now."

"And don't you forget it." He whispered, kissing her. She got on her tippy-toes and put her arms around his neck, relishing in the moment. Despite him saying that she wasn't to forget he was the Alpha, she did. She forgot the whole supernatural werewolf shit and saw her and him as two normal people. Dare she say it…a normal _couple_. A couple sharing a sweet yet passionate kiss. And she couldn't get over how happy that made her. She had never felt better about herself or her life.

"Okay, you should probably go now." She said, pulling away from him.

"And as sexy as you look in it, I need my shirt back." He told her with a small smile. Scarlett bit her lip and looked down at the much too big shirt.

"I don't know, I kind of like it…" She teased. "I think I'm gonna keep it."

"Seriously?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." She replied, turning to walk into the bathroom. "And considering you needed no help in getting in through the window, I believe you can show yourself out of it." She closed the door on him and he pouted.

"Scarlett…" He pleaded.

"Bye Derek!" She sang through the door before he heard the shower turning on. He groaned and put his jeans, shoes and jacket back on before looking at the bathroom door and listening to her humming while she showered before smirking and jumping out of the window.


	12. Chapter 12: Crazy World

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Ah! Okay so, we've made it to season two, yay! Thank you guys for sticking around and I hope you enjoy this. **

**As always, I love when you leave a review telling me what you think so don't forget to do that! And also, about Scarlett becoming something other than a human...I'm not giving anything away so you'll have to just wait to find out...:)**

* * *

Scarlett's head turned at the sound of the door opening. Both she and Lydia looked to see Lydia's father walking in with a slightly apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, I'm not interrupting am I?" He asked quietly. Scarlett gave a small smile and shook her head.

"N-"

"Yes, actually. Could you wait outside for a minute while I say goodbye to Scar?" Lydia cut off what Scarlett was going to say, sounding rather rude. It wasn't something unordinary. Lydia was usually rude to her parents and both of them were so nice they really weren't offended by it.

"Of course, take your time." Her dad said, walking back out. Scarlett sighed and turned back to Lydia.

"You…are outrageous." She said.

"I'm in hospital. Being outrageous is allowed." Lydia smirked.

Scarlett checked the time on her phone and sighed again. "I'm gonna have to get going Lyds, is that okay?"

"Of course it is. You've literally been in here since you found out. I'm surprised you haven't died of boredom. God knows I'm about to." Lydia said, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the pillows of the hospital bed. That was very true. Scarlett had refused to leave Lydia's side since she came rushing in to see why her friend was in the hospital in the first place. She had been sitting by her the whole time and when Lydia was sleeping, she went out to talk to Stiles who also refused to leave.

"Well that's because when you best friend is in hospital, you don't leave them. Plus, I brought you pretty flowers…" Scarlett laughed and eyed the daisy's sitting by the bed.

"I do love the flowers." Lydia smiled. "But yeah, you need to go. Like now. And then when you get back you can tell me all about your date with this mystery boyfriend, which, by the way, better not be a mystery for much longer."

Scarlett blushed and looked down at her phone again. "He is not my boyfriend. And I only told you that there was a guy because you needed some sort of gossip. Don't make me regret telling you."

Lydia rolled her eyes and gave Scarlett a look. "I am your best friend. You're supposed to tell me this stuff!"

The door opened again and Lydia's dad popped his head in again.

"Sorry. I'm just leaving." Scarlett apologised, gathering her bag and standing up from the chair she had been sitting in for the past couple of days. Her muscles were stiff as bricks and she needed to stretch but she wouldn't dare do that in the company she was in. She leaned down and hugged Lydia, kissing her cheek. "I'll think about it. Love you."

A cheeky smile spread across Lydia's face. "You better. Love you too Scar." She sang as Scarlett shook her head, walking to the door.

"See you later Mr Martin." Scarlett nodded to him on her way past.

"Goodbye Scarlett." He smiled, closing the door for her on the way out.

Scarlett let out a small laugh at the sight of Stiles sleeping strangely on the chairs outside of the room. Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to see Melissa giving Stiles the same look before turning to her.

"Hey sweetheart, you heading home?" She asked with a smile.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually really tired. Early night for me I guess." She shrugged. Of course, it was a lie. She always seemed to be lying and it tore her up inside. Especially when she had to lie to her mother. It was a pretty horrible feeling and she felt monstrous doing it but, if she wanted to see Derek then it was the only way.

"Good." Melissa said with a nod. "You need sleep. And food. Make sure you eat something. I love you." She kissed Scarlett's forehead and then walked around her.

"I will. Love you too mom." Scarlett said with a smile as Melissa walked into Lydia's room.

Sparing one last glance at Stiles who was still sleeping and murmuring strange noises, Scarlett walked briskly out of the hospital. There was a cold bite to the air which made Scarlett pull her jacket tighter around herself while she fought back a shiver. Upon hearing the purr of a car engine, she looked up and supressed the massive smile that wanted to grace her lips when she saw the all too familiar sleek black Camaro pull up in front of her. She quickly made her way to the other side of the car, opened the door and slid into the passenger's seat.

"Hey…" She said quietly, leaning over to Derek's seat and kissing him soundly. The feel of his lips on hers gave her intense butterflies but she quickly reminded herself that he would be able to tell if she was nervous. She didn't want that. Besides, there was really no reason for her to be. She had kissed him many, many times before and it wasn't as if it was her first time being alone with him it just felt like something was different. The atmosphere between the two of them had changed. And not in a bad way. In fact, quite the opposite. It was as if they had an even stronger bond. They actually seemed…couple-like.

"You smell like a hospital." He stated simply when she had sat back and he had pulled out of the parking lot.

She rolled her eyes. "That's what happens when you sit in a hospital for days. Does it bother you?"

Derek glanced at her sidelong, shaking his head slightly. "Not really."

"Would you like me to shower?"

"Yeah. That'd be good." He said truthfully. She sighed and laughed slightly, making him grin.

* * *

"There. Do I smell better now?" Scarlett asked, walking out of the bathroom and towel-drying her hair.

"Much." Derek replied, not looking up from the random book he had picked off of her shelf. Scarlett rolled her eyes and walked over to him, taking the book and slamming it shut before placing it back on the shelf.

"Come on." She said, looking around the room for her bag. Derek walked to the wall and leaned against it.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know," She shrugged. "Somewhere. Anywhere…like, a walk. We should go for a walk in the woods."

His face turned grim when he spoke. "The woods aren't safe."

Scarlett looked at him incredulously. "The hell do you mean 'the woods aren't safe?' How can anything be 'not safe' when I'm with you?"

The way she said that made him feel a few different things. She had looked so innocent when she said it. Like she truly believed that she was as safe as she could be when she was with him. Like, nothing else affected her and he was all she needed. That made both his heart and ego swell but it also planted a bit of doubt in his mind. It was true; she was completely safe when she was with him. After all, he was the Alpha and he would never let anything bad happen to her. Not while he was alive. But then there was the doubt. The doubt that maybe he wouldn't live up to be everything she thought he was. That he would end up failing her in some way. That thought scared him in unimaginable ways. Failing Scarlett meant failing everything, failing in life. And he refused to fail. He pushed the doubtful thoughts away and filled his mind with positive ones, goals that he would reach. He wouldn't fail her. Oh no. He would do the opposite. He would make her proud. He would _be_ the Alpha. A better one than Peter was…than anyone was really. Once he had his pack then he would be the fearless leader. And not only that but he would also become the person that Scarlett viewed him as. The person that she trusted and cared about. A better version of himself, and he would do it all for her.

"Okay, but it can't be for long." He finally said.

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

Scarlett scoffed. "Because you _said so_? Who are you? My mother?"

"No. But you're going to listen to me anyway." He said sternly.

"Just tell me." Scarlett sighed, getting off the bed.

"I have something I need to do and you're not gonna be there when I do it."

"What are you gonna do?" She pestered, walking closer to him.

"Scarlett." He warned.

"Tell me Derek."

He clenched his jaw and gave her a cold look. Was she incapable of listening? Or at least doing what would keep her safe? "I need a pack." He said tightly.

A look of confusion crossed Scarlett's face. "A pac-" Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. "You're gonna bite someone." It wasn't a question. It was a statement because she already knew the answer. "Who is it?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Like hell it doesn't!" She countered. "This is an innocent person. You can't just make them into a werewolf!"

"It's not like that." He said, staring her down. She was seeing him as some sort of bad guy and that wasn't a good thing. She needed to know that he wasn't. "I'm going to ask him first. I wouldn't give anyone the bite against their will."

Scarlett relaxed a little inside but she kept a cold and concerned look on her face. "Take me with you." She said simply.

He looked at her incredulously. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Scarlett."

"Derek."

He grabbed her wrists and turned them around in a flash so that she was pinned against the wall. "No." He growled lowly.

"Yes." She whispered fiercely. He couldn't take it anymore. It was wrong but she was so fucking beautiful when she was angry and he wanted her. He drove his hands into her hair, pulling slightly and making her gasp. He took that as his opportunity and he smashed his lips against hers, not even waiting for her permission before entering his tongue into her mouth.

The feeling of his hands in her hair, his mouth against hers and his body pinning her to the wall was too much for Scarlett and she couldn't help but melt into him completely. All of her angriness faded away quickly and she was left with nothing but the intense feeling of Derek touching her and kissing her. She felt his hands roam down to her ass, where they remained until he squeezed roughly, which spurred her on further. Quickly taking control of the situation she pushed him so that they were walking backwards, still ravenously kissing each other, until the backs of Derek's legs hit the bed and she shoved him down on it. His eyes were hungry as he watched her climb on top of him, biting her lip. She smirked and rubbed him through his jeans which seemed to become increasingly tighter.

He made to take her shirt off of her but she quickly slapped his hands away, shaking her head. Instead, she got him out of his shirt and started licking all over his abs and his chest, eventually making her way up his neck and then his mouth where she let her tongue trace his lips before actually kissing him. She moved away from his mouth and nuzzled her face in his neck whilst grinding her hips, making a purring sound that drove him crazy. He could have easily gotten his hands out of her grip but he didn't. He decided he would let her have her moment of thinking she was in control to make up for what an asshole he'd just been.

Her lips moved to his ear and she whispered to him. "Let's go." Scarlett smirked and got off of him, fixing herself and laughing at the face he was making. "What? You didn't honestly think that I was going to let you screw me when you just point blank refused to let me tag along, did you?"

He looked at her, incredulous. "You're seriously just going to leave me like this?" He asked, gesturing to the bulge in his jeans.

Scarlett shrugged and gave him an innocent look. "Will you take me when you go to give this guy the bite?"

"I'm not giving him the bite, I-"

"Yeah, okay, when you go to _talk_ to this guy then."

Derek groaned and stood up. He really didn't want to take her but in all honesty, he was the most dangerous thing out there and he wasn't about to her hurt her so…what would be the harm? Plus, his raging hard-on was almost painful and maybe if he gave her what she wanted…"Fine. Okay, you can come. But you have to actually listen to me."

Scarlett flashed him a beautiful smile. "Great. Well, I'll be in the car." She held up his keys and winked before walking out of the room leaving Derek wide-eyed and half naked.

Scarlett smirked when Derek got into the car, she held out the keys for him and he glared. "What's wrong?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"I hope you know that I'm gonna get you back for that. But it's going to be ten times worse." He smirked, already planning his revenge in his head while speeding away from the house. Those words worried Scarlett deeply but she wouldn't apologise for what she did. It was all in the art of being a tease.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes in confusion when Derek parked the car near the cemetery.

"Why are we here?" She questioned, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"This is where he is." Came Derek's reply. He looked as if he was concentrating on something, probably the sound of the guy.

"Is he _dead_?" Scarlett asked without even thinking. Derek looked at her as if she was an idiot and she frowned. "What?"

"No, he isn't dead." Derek sighed. "He just digs the graves." Scarlett nodded instead of vocally replying. "Okay. I'm going to go and get this over with and you are going to stay put, good?"

"Not good." Scarlett protested. "No, I wanna watch. I can't watch from here. I won't be any help if something goes wrong if I'm sitting in the car."

"Nothing is going to go wrong Scarlett."

"And what if it does Derek? What if you end up getting hurt? I know that's highly unlikely but I still worry and-"

He cut her off by giving her a soft kiss and looking into her eyes. She always felt so entranced by his eyes. She could get lost in them forever. The sea-green colour of them was very calming and when they were focused on her she felt like she was standing direct under the sun and was slowly melting from the sheer heat of it.

"Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise." He said to her quietly. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before nodding.

"Okay, but I'm going to stand by the gate so I can at least see." She said, getting out of the car quietly. He just couldn't win with her, but he would take it anyway. As long as she was far enough away that she wouldn't be seen.

The two of them walked to the gate and looked at the grave backhoe that was in use. Scarlett could faintly make out the person operating it and her face scrunched up in confusion. "Isaac Lahey? You're turning Isaac Lahey?"

Derek's head snapped to her. "You know him?"

"Yeah…I mean, he's in a few of my classes. I've spoken to him once or twice but he kinda keeps to himself. Honestly, I feel bad for the guy." She said, still looking at Isaac.

"Well, hopefully turning will help him...if he wants it." Derek said quietly before jumping the gate. He stood on the other side for a moment, both of them watching as some sort of animal knocked over the backhoe, making Isaac fall into the grave, before digging through another grave viciously. Derek narrowed his eyes before running over as well, making sure to stay in the shadows before he roared at the animal making it whimper and run away.

Scarlett watched in fascination as Derek lifted the backhoe out of the way of the grave. Damn, he was stronger than she thought. He walked around to the other side of the grave Isaac was still in and stood, looking down into it. He said something but because she was too far away to hear it. Although, she did see him pulling Isaac out of the grave. She was intent on watching what happened next but her phone started ringing. She cursed and walked further away, taking it out.

"Allison?" She asked.

"_Scarlett! Where are you?" _She sounded panicked.

"I'm uh…at home. Why? What is it? What's wrong?"

"_Lydia…she's missing. We're out looking for her. We thought you might want to know." _

"What the hell?! Of course I want to know! When did this happen?" Scarlett asked frantically.

"_Calm down Scar. It literally just happened but Scott is tracking her scent right now._"

Scarlett let out a breath and tried to relax but she was still feeling sick at the thought of Lydia missing…out in the cold, all alone. "O-okay. Just, tell me if you find her or find...anything."

"_We will. Scott says that you should stay at home though." _Allison said, remaining as calm as possible as to not worry Scarlett any further.

"Of course he does." Scarlett mumbled. "Alright well, I'll see you tomorrow then. And Allison…tell Scott that he better find her."

"_I will._" Allison said before Scarlett hung up. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, turning around and jumping when Derek appeared before her.

"Lydia's missing?" He asked.

"Yeah." She breathed out, wrapping her arms around herself trying to keep warm. Her eyes were filled to the brim with sadness and worry. She hadn't expected this to happen. Yeah, she knew there was some weird shit going on with Lydia but her going missing? From the _hospital_? How does that happen?

"She'll be fine." Derek said comfortingly, touching Scarlett's face softly.

"It is freezing out here Derek. And it's only going to get colder and the last time I checked, hospital gowns weren't very warm." Her voice was small and he hated to see her like that. He could see that she was beating herself up for it…for leaving Lydia.

"I'll help find her." He said, pulling her in for a hug which she gladly returned. He had natural warmth and Scarlett clung tightly to him trying to fight off the cold, burying her face in his chest and nodding slightly. She loved the feeling of being wrapped up in his embrace. It was where she felt the safest and relaxed despite everything she should be worrying about. It felt as if it was where she belonged…as cliché as that was. They stood there for a good few minutes before Derek suggested that he should take her home.

* * *

"What's he saying?" Scarlett asked Derek as she looked up at him. The two of them were currently standing in the woods next to the cemetery where the police were investigating the crime scene and the Sheriff was questioning Isaac and his father. Apparently, when that animal had been digging through the grave last night, it stole something.

"Nothing good." Derek said, not taking his eyes off of the scene.

"He looks like the kind of guy that's a dick." Scarlett stated, referring to Isaac's father.

"He is." Scarlett shifted her bag on her shoulder and checked her phone for the time. She had twenty minutes until school started. "Go." Derek said simply. She gave him a confused look. "Go and get him out of there. Offer him a ride to school."

"What? Why?" Scarlett complained.

"Just do it Scar. Please." Derek said giving her a look that made him kind of adorable.

Scarlett groaned. "Fine. I'll do it." She said, reaching up and giving him a slow, passionate kiss that definitely would have led to more if they had the time.

"Thank you." He pecked her again and grinned.

"Mhm. You're lucky I like you Hale." She said before hurrying off to Isaac.

She watched as Isaac glanced towards her, well behind her actually, making Sheriff Stilinski look as well.

"Scarlett…" He said, the surprise disappearing from his face as fast as it had appeared. It was starting to become a regular pattern for her turning up at crime scenes…Stiles and Scott as well. The Sheriff was more surprised that the two boys weren't there with her.

"Hey Sheriff!" She said cheerfully. "Isaac. Mr Lahey." She nodded to the other males.

"What are you doing here?" The Sheriff asked with a sigh.

"I like to take walks through the cemetery every morning." She said, sounding rather morbid.

"Uh huh…shouldn't you be at school?"

"Well that's where I'm heading right now…Isaac, do you need a ride?" Scarlett asked sweetly although her eyes were demanding that he say yes.

He nodded shyly. "Uh, sure. Thanks." He said quietly. She had to admit he was very cute. Not just in his physical looks but in the way he acted as well.

"See you later Sheriff." Scarlett smiled, walking past them all and gesturing for Isaac to follow. She frowned when she heard Isaac's father whisper something to him.

"You have no chance with a girl like that." First of all, she thought that was disgusting. Second, he needed to work on his whispering skills and third, the guy really was a fucking dick.

"Come on Isaac." She smiled, making a show of taking his arm and leading him away.

When they were in the safety of Scarlett's car, Isaac decided it was a good time to speak up. "Why…why are you doing this?"

Scarlett glanced at him before reversing away from the cemetery and driving off towards the school. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to keep quiet about knowing Derek or what so she just left it and made up an excuse.

She shrugged, playing dumb. "What? I can't give a friend a ride to school?"

"No, no. I'm uh, grateful and everything but you've, I mean…we aren't exactly friends." He said, twiddling his thumbs.

"Who ever said that?"

"No one, we just don't talk or anything so I thought…"

"Well, Isaac. You thought wrong." She told him, keeping her tone light. She was actually starting to like his shyness and she wouldn't mind being friends with him. God knows he needed a few. She wasn't taking pity on him or anything it's just that he seemed to be a kind of…lost soul and she was more than happy to help him out.

"When you came out of the woods I saw…you were with someone."

"No I wasn't." She laughed, brushing it off and moving on to something else. "Anyway, from now on you can consider me a friend. Someone to talk to and stuff, you know?" Scarlett surprised herself with what she said. Of course she wanted to be friends with him but the way she said it seemed rather forward. But, it was out there now. She wanted to be there and help him as much as possible while he was going through the change and everything…if he said yes, of course. In a way she thought it was kind of her responsibility. Obviously, she knew that Derek would teach him everything but Scarlett had a feeling he wasn't going to be very nice about it and that's where she would come in. She would be there for moral support and everything else that Derek wouldn't be. He had told her that he planned to turn more people so she was just preparing herself for what was to come. And befriending Isaac seemed like a good start.

"Thanks Scarlett." Isaac gave her a small but sweet smile that made her actually notice the bruise on his eye. She stopped looking quickly, not wanting to question it either. If he wanted to talk about it then he would and maybe she would bring it up at some point but she wasn't about to do it right then and there.

"No problem." She shrugged, getting out of the car when she had pulled into a space in the school parking lot. "I'll see you later." He nodded to her and walked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Scarlett's eyes narrowed as Stiles explained to her what he and Scott had been talking about since Lydia went missing. "So, you guys think she's turning?"

"Well it's kinda the only logical explanation, right?" Stiles said, walking beside her.

"I guess so…but I thought you said the bite never healed. Doesn't that mean she wasn't changed?"

"I don't know. Maybe it healed after we checked it or something." Stiles shrugged. "All I know is that she's alone in the woods…naked…and, stealing dead people's livers."

Scarlett blew out a breath. It was a lot to take in. She thought for sure that Lydia wasn't going to change into a werewolf. It was really hard to picture her running around stealing livers. Although, if that's what she stole from the grave…that means that Lydia was the 'animal' Scarlett had seen last night with Derek. Surely that wasn't her. It seemed so…inhuman. And if it was Lydia then Scarlett definitely would've been able to tell. So, none of it really added up in any way and Scarlett had no idea what to believe.

"Was it definitely a liver?" Scarlett asked uneasily.

Stiles sighed and nodded. "Definitely."

"But…Lydia Martin? Eating a _liver_? It's pretty unrealistic. I mean, we're talking about the girl who throws a complete outfit away after she wears it once and now, she has supposedly dug through a grave and taken a dead person's liver?"

"Yeah, well…I think becoming a werewolf kinda changes your views and eating habits."

"Scott never ate a liver though." Scarlett said sceptically.

"Maybe it's different for girls. I don't know." Stiles told her shaking his head. "Hey, have you heard anything from Derek?"

Scarlett's eyes widened a fraction and she turned to look at him. "What? No. Why? I mean, why would he talk to me?"

Stiles gave her a strange look. "Uh…well, he said he trusts you so I just thought that…you know what never mind."

"He does trust me." Scarlett said quickly. "He just hasn't you know, contacted me or anything." She shrugged.

"Okay, well, I have detention so I'll catch you later." Stiles said, touching her shoulder on his way past.

"Uh, okay, yeah, bye." She replied nonchalantly. Her focus was on the two girls up ahead that were giggling and talking about Allison who was right across the hall, obviously listening to them as well.

"Yeah, the psycho-bitch that killed all those people? That was her aunt." One of them said.

"No way, I sit next to her in English."

"Get a new seat." The first girl laughed again and they both looked at Allison who slammed her locker and walked away quickly. Scarlett kept glaring at the two girls and she scoffed, shaking her head and walking up to them.

They both looked at her and she could see the panic in their eyes. It wasn't that Scarlett was a scary person but when she was angry…you could tell.

"Hey, you two!" She snapped at them, gaining their full attention. "How about you take your snide little remarks and shove them up your asses." Scarlett said venomously making them both jump slightly. "If I ever hear you talking about Allison like that again, I'll make sure you regret it. Now scram."

The girls hurried off, looking like scorned children which is what they pretty much were. Scarlett held her chin up a little bit higher, glancing around again. It wasn't often that she threatened people because she was a genuinely nice person but sometimes, being well known and popular had its perks. Everyone knew that in high school, one person could ruin you. Especially if that person was well-liked. And not that Scarlett would ever ruin someone but she didn't mind putting people like that in their place.

"Wow. You're a pretty good friend." Scarlett looked at the guy who had spoken to her, not really recognising him. She smiled nonetheless, eyeing the expensive looking camera in his hands.

"Thank you. I pride myself on it." She said confidently before turning and strutting away in the other direction leaving the guy to smile and shake his head.

* * *

It seemed like Scarlett was never out of the fucking cemetery. There she was, crouched behind a massive headstone with Scott and Stiles as the three of them watched Allison and her parents attend Kate's funeral. Much like everyone else, the very thought of Kate Argent made her blood boil. Sure it sounded rude because she was dead but honestly, Peter killing her was karma for her killing most of the Hale family which is why Scarlett couldn't care less about being at her funeral. The only reason she was there was to support Allison and even though she wasn't right beside her, Allison knew that the three of them were there and that was good enough.

Scarlett peered over Scott's shoulder and around the stone to see an old man with white hair and two other bodyguard-type guys. The man had stopped walking and yanked the camera away from the guy that had spoken to her in school earlier. He took the memory card out of the camera and broke it, throwing the pieces on the ground. Scarlett cringed. She felt bad for the boy; those things were apparently really expensive much like the camera itself. When the guy from school had walked away, the old man walked towards the Argents. He greeted Chris first, then Victoria and then Allison.

"It's her grandfather." Scott told her and Stiles, answering the question that none of them had asked. It made sense though. He just _looked_ like an Argent…like a hunter.

"Maybe he's from the non-hunting side of the family. You know, there could be non-hunting Argents…" Stiles said, his voice filled with doubt.

"I know who they are. And why they're here…they're reinforcements." Scott said grimly, making Scarlett shiver involuntarily. More hunters really wasn't a good thing at all. Especially when Derek was running around creating a new pack out of teenagers. God, this was all going to end badly. Scarlett could already sense it.

She jumped when both Stiles and Scott were yanked up from the ground by Sheriff Stilinksi. Scarlett quickly stood up as well and cursed under her breath.

"You three…unbelievable." The Sheriff said angrily, looking pissed as hell at finding the three of them where they weren't supposed to be yet again. "Let's go." He said, dragging Scott and Stiles away to the cruiser with Scarlett following behind sullenly.

They all piled into the car and sat quietly in the back, exchanging glances with one another. When the Sheriff got a call from dispatch, they all tuned into what was going on.

"_Somebody got into the back of the ambulance…there's so much blood. I've never seen anything like it before." _The cop on the radio said worriedly. The three teens looked at each other, secretly agreeing to get to the ambulance first.

"Alright, just hang on until I get there. As for the three of you-" The Sheriff began to say but when he turned around the three of them were already running through the woods.

"Do you think it was Lydia?" Scarlett asked as they came to a stop behind some trees where they had a visual of the ambulance.

"Who else could it have been?" Stiles replied, moving up further to get a closer look. The twins followed and they stood, watching the scene. The ambulance doors were ripped off and there was a dead man inside. His blood splattered absolutely everywhere. It was revolting to say the least. More and more cop cars started arriving and the three of them had to duck down to not be seen.

Scott sniffed the air, trying to catch Lydia's scent.

"Can you get it?" Scarlett asked.

"Do you need to be closer?" Stiles added on.

Scott shook his head and looked at the two of them. "No, I got it." He was about to start running off again but Stiles stopped him and gave him a defeated look.

"Just…find her Scott. Please, find her." His voice was sad and Scarlett felt for him. She was pretty damn upset that Lydia was missing but she was able to believe that Scott would find her or she would turn up but Stiles, he was completely wrecked over it and he didn't seem to have as much faith as her.

"I'll find her." Scott promised, taking off into woods.

"Hey, if Scott doesn't find her then she'll show up eventually. Please believe that." Scarlett said, her eyes pleading.

"I do believe that…it's just, I need to know she's safe." Stiles told her.

"Well you're not alone there. Stiles, the whole freaking town is looking for her."

Stiles nodded, seeming to accept the information before starting to walk over to the crime scene with Scarlett following close behind.

After a few minutes of standing around, the Sheriff showed up and Stiles went to talk to him while Scarlett hung back. She looked at the ground, kicking it with the toe of her shoe. She wanted to be doing something proactive, like helping to actually find Lydia or something rather than standing around like a spare part. Something caught her eye when she glanced up and she had to do a double-take when she saw Lydia emerging from the trees. Scarlett's eyes widened and she felt relief flood through her. Lydia looked wrecked. Her frizzy strawberry-blonde hair stood out against her pale white skin and it had bits of tree stuck in it, she was shaking and of course, she was naked.

"Lydia?" She heard Stiles ask.

"Well?" She asked shakily. "Is someone gonna get me a coat?" She opened her arms up so that she was completely bare in front of everyone and it just seemed like such a Lydia thing to do that Scarlett couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"Lydia!" Scarlett shouted, running towards her and pulling her cold, shaking form in for a tight hug. It didn't even matter that she was naked. Lydia wrapped her arms around Scarlett, clinging to her and revelling in her warmth. "Oh my God, are you okay? What the hell happened?"

"Here you go." The Sheriff said, handing his jacket to Lydia. Scarlett helped her put it on and before Lydia could answer any of Scarlett's questions she was taken away by the deputies so that she could be taken to the hospital again.

"Can I go with her?" Scarlett asked the Sheriff.

He gave her a doubtful look. "I think it would be better if you and Stiles just headed on home."

"But-"

"Scarlett." He said, giving her a slightly pleading look. She only refrained from being argumentative because she felt bad. He always had to yank them away from getting into trouble and she was scared that one day the stress was all just going to get to him.

"Fine, I'll go." She said glumly, walking over to Stiles who was just getting back up off the ground from having falling over at the sight of Lydia's nakedness. Scarlett rolled her eyes and helped him up. "We've been told to hit the road."

* * *

When Scarlett walked out of the bathroom while brushing her teeth she was surprised to see Derek standing at the far end of her room, examining all the pictures she had taken back in her photographer days.

He turned and smirked at her. She looked cute with that puzzled expression on her face. He'd never really seen her looking so…natural. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun, which he didn't mind but he preferred when her hair was down and messy, she was dressed in her pyjamas, wearing no makeup and to top it all off she had her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.

"God, you have the worst timing." Her words were muffled by the toothpaste in her mouth but he could still make out what she was saying.

"I disagree." She glared at him and walked back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth and everything.

Derek stood up from the bed when she walked back out a few minutes later fixing her shirt. His heart swelled when she smiled up at him. She was so beautiful and she was all his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tippy toes to kiss him before pulling back. "I assume you're here to talk about Lydia?" She asked.

The truth was he was there to see her but talking about Lydia was a good cover. "Yeah." Scarlett sighed and Derek walked backwards until he was sitting on the bed with her straddling him, arms still locked around his neck. He held her waist and used his thumbs to rub her sides in a comforting way by pure instinct. She was stressed and he could sense it.

"So, we found her. Or…she found us. Whatever." Scarlett began, relaxing into Derek's touch. "She's back. And I'm pretty sure she isn't a werewolf. I mean, there just wasn't anything different about her. She just seemed pretty freaked about the whole thing." He nodded. "Why do I get the feeling you knew that she hadn't turned?"

"Because it wouldn't make sense if she was. The bite never healed. Plus, Scott and I found an omega who admitted he got the guy in the back of the ambulance and was the one who stole the liver." Derek told her truthfully.

"Wait, an omega? As in like…a wolf without a pack?" She asked. Derek nodded again. "So, what did you guys do with him?"

He hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to tell her about what he saw. He knew that keeping things from her would be a bad move though so he told her anyway. "Hunters. The Argents, to be exact. They got a hold of him and cut him in half."

Scarlett's eyes widened and she gagged slightly as she imagined someone being cut in half. Well, actually, an image of Laura Hale's dead body popped into her head. She shivered at the memory. "Why?"

"It's what they do Scarlett. They said tonight they would kill any werewolf that they came across. No matter who it was. That means that Scott is in danger and sneaking around with Allison isn't helping him at all."

"But, I thought they had a code." Scarlett said, confused by what she was hearing.

"The code's finished. They aren't sticking by it anymore. They're declaring war."

"Well then is it smart to be starting a pack? I mean, Isaac…he's my age and I'm guessing that if he says yes then you're planning to turn more teenagers and…are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked again.

"I need a pack." He said simply. "If I have a pack then I'm stronger. I need more than just Isaac."

"Wait," Scarlett gave him a look. "Did you bite Isaac already?"

Derek narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah. He asked for it." He said it as if it was obvious.

"When the hell was this?"

"It doesn't matter. But I'm going to need your help."

"With what…?" She asked wearily.

"I need you to become friends with him and keep an eye on him. If he shifts, don't get involved. I don't want you getting hurt." He said the last part sincerely and Scarlett felt herself nodding.

"Okay. I mean, I already kind of told him we were friends this morning but if you want it to go further than that it's completely fine with me. He is pretty cute." Scarlett smirked, messing with him just to get a kick out of his reaction.

His eyes snapped to hers and they became deadly. She felt his grip on her waist tighten before he flipped them around so her back was on the bed and he was on top of her. Derek felt his possessiveness kick in and he leaned down to her ear. He could hear her heartbeat speeding up in excitement. He had come to notice that she actually liked this side of him which he didn't mind at all.

"You're already taken." He growled in her ear causing her to whimper slightly. He began ravenously sucking and biting her neck, making marks everywhere. Marks that would remind her she was his.


	13. Chapter 13: One Step At A Time

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

"You really don't remember anything?" Allison asked Lydia as she and Scarlett walked on either side of her.

Lydia sighed. "They called it a fugue state. Which basically means 'we have no idea why you can't remember running around in the woods naked for two days.'"

"Well, at least your back now. And you know, you aren't dead or anything so that's a plus right?" Scarlett asked, voice filled with hope. She couldn't imagine what Lydia must be feeling. If it had been her then she would have been petrified. And the worst part is that she can't remember anything. So, even Lydia herself doesn't know what she did or where she went. Considering the doctor's couldn't tell her anything though, Scarlett had an inkling that even though Lydia hadn't become a werewolf, there still might have been something supernatural behind it. And if there was then it wouldn't be very farfetched considering everything else that's happening in Beacon Hills.

"That's not the only plus." Lydia said with a smirk. "I lost nine pounds." She said, gesturing to herself. Scarlett and Allison both laughed. Trust Lydia to find that the best outcome of all of that.

"Are you ready for this?" Allison asked, referring to being back at school.

"Please, it's not like my aunt's a serial killer." Lydia retorted a little inconsiderately. Scarlett gave Allison a small yet sympathetic smile. She only let that pass with Lydia because of her incident. Of course her being out of sorts wasn't probably the reason she was so rude, that was just her personality.

Allison smiled back and shrugged, pulling one of the front doors of the school open again for Scarlett since Lydia had let it close behind her when she walked in.

"Thanks." Scarlett said as she walked through, Allison following behind her.

When they got to Lydia, they stopped beside her as a mass amount of the student body stared at her. They all held different expressions but most of them just looked at her like she was crazy. Scarlett held in her anger the best she could. Of course people were going to stare and talk but she couldn't help but be disappointed by it. Were these people raised with any manners at all?

"Maybe it's the nine pounds." Allison whispered to Lydia whose face was full of fear and worry. Lydia looked around before nodding to herself, flicking her hair back and putting on a brave face and walking confidently through the crowd like she owned the place again.

"Well, looks like she's back to being queen bitch already." Scarlett laughed. She didn't mean it in a nasty way at all. She'd called Lydia that since the beginning of high school. She had even said it to her face. Allison nodded and laughed, falling into step with Scarlett as they strutted through the halls together.

* * *

Scarlett watched the squabble between Brooke and another cheerleader and decided that she didn't want to hear any of it so instead of warming up with the squad like usual, she went to stretch beside Scott and Stiles who were deep in conversation.

"What are you two gossiping about?" She asked, sitting on the grass and beginning to stretch.

"Nothing," Scott said at the same time as Stiles said, "There's another werewolf on the team." Scott glared at Stiles and he shrugged.

"Another werewolf?" She asked, pretending to be clueless. She looked around the lacrosse team and spotted Isaac looking over at them but she quickly looked away. "Who is it?" Derek had never specified about whether or not she could tell Scott about him creating a pack and whatnot so she decided to keep quiet.

"We don't know. He must have only been turned recently though or else I would've sensed it before." Scott told her, scanning the field again.

"I have an idea." Stiles said, running away from the twins.

"Have you talked to Derek?" Scott asked casually.

"No. I have not. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Scarlett snapped at him, making Scott lean back slightly.

"Chill, Scar. It was just a question. You two seemed pretty close so I thought maybe you'd talked to him." Scott said innocently, giving his sister a weird look.

"I'm sorry. But no, I haven't." Scarlett lied. Scott gave her a look when he heard her heart rate speed up for a second when she said that.

"You're lying." He stated, narrowing his eyes at her.

Before Scarlett had a chance to make up something else, Stiles came running back and thank God for that or else she would've been some deep shit.

"You're switching with Danny and you're going to be in goal today." Stiles told Scott.

"But, I don't want to be in goal."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and took that as her chance to sneak away from the two as they bickered like a couple. She walked back to the squad and all she could see was angry and pissed off looking cheerleaders which could only mean that practice was going to be hell for her and everyone else.

Halfway through all of the shouting and people falling because no one was putting in any effort, Scarlett looked over to the lacrosse team to see Scott and Isaac bashing into each other causing them both to hit the ground.

From their places on the ground they looked at each other fiercely until Coach blew the whistle. Everyone's head snapped to Sheriff Stilinski who was flanked by two deputies as they walked towards the field. Scarlett's eyes narrowed as she watched them until she realised they were making their way towards Isaac and then she started to freak out. They took Isaac away from the field to talk to him and Scarlett ran over to Scott and Stiles who were among the many onlookers.

"What's happening? What are they doing?" She asked quickly.

"It's him, he's the other werewolf." Scott told her. "His father's dead. They think he was murdered." Well shit. Did he already kill someone? _God_, turning teenagers was a bad idea.

"Well, do they think he's a suspect?" Stiles asked, looking at Scott as he concentrated on hearing the conversation.

"Why? What if they do?"

"Because, they can put him in a holding cell for twenty-four hours." Stiles said. Scarlett cursed over and over again in her head. Derek had told her to keep an eye on Isaac and now he was getting arrested. And to top it all off tonight was the full moon which meant he was going to turn at the station and then everything would be fucked.

"Like overnight?" Scott asked.

Stiles nodded, looking back at Isaac. "During the full moon."

"How good are the holding cells at holding people?"

"People? Good. Werewolves? Probably not that good." Stiles said doubtfully.

"Remember when I said I don't have the urge to maim and kill?"

"Yeah." Stiles answered.

"He does." Scott said grimly, giving Isaac a pointed look.

"Of course he does. That's just…perfect." Scarlett groaned. "You guys know that we have to get him out of there right? Like, if he stays there then a lot of people are going to get hurt."

"Yeah, I know that." Scott nodded. "We just need a plan."

All three of them looked at Sheriff Stilinski and the deputies leading Isaac away. Isaac turned back and his eye caught Scarlett's. She gave him a sympathetic look and he looked down, continuing to walk away. Scarlett took in a deep breath and started heading for the locker rooms.

"McCall!" Brooke shouted on her making Scarlett stop and turn. "Where the hell do you think you're going? Practice isn't over yet!"

Scarlett gave her an incredulous look before looking at the rest of the squad who looked completely done. "I think it's safe to say that it is." She said, earning a small chorus of sighs of relief from the squad. She smirked at Brooke's face and walked away from the field.

The locker room was empty when Scarlett entered it. She made a beeline for her bag and rummaged through it until she found her phone.

Derek answered on the first ring. "_What is it? What's wrong?_"

Scarlett sighed and put her head against the lockers. "We have a problem."

"_What kind of problem?_"

"The kind where Isaac just got arrested for being a suspect of his father's murder and they're going to lock him up in a holding cell for the next twenty-four hours." Scarlett rushed out.

"_Shit_." He swore. "_Have they taken him away yet?_"

"I don't think so. My guess is that the Sheriff is going to do some questioning first."

"_I'll be out front as soon as school is over_." He told her before hanging up. Scarlett looked at her phone for a few seconds before putting it back in her bag and getting changed when she heard all the other girls coming in.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to drag on and on. All Scarlett could do was worry about Isaac. He seemed to have the worst luck. She wondered what Derek's plan was to get him out of the holding cell before the moon went up and she hoped to God that it was a good one. If they didn't get him out then Isaac would be left to turn for the first time by himself in the police station, with a bunch of people that carried guns. That didn't sound like a very good thing. In fact, it sounded extremely shitty and dangerous and Scarlett fretted over the danger that everyone was going to be in.

When the bell signalling the end of her last class rang Scarlett quite literally jumped out of her seat, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the classroom earning a few strange looks that she ignored completely. She pushed the door of the main entrance open and she saw Scott's back as he talked to Derek who was waiting in the Camaro looking pissed.

"Whatever's in the house is worse. A lot worse." She heard Derek say to Scott who just continued to stand there. She sighed and grabbed Scott's arm on the way past him, giving him no choice but to get in the car with her. Much to her dismay she had to sit in the back but instead of complaining about it, she remained quiet.

The tires screeched as Derek raced away from the school parking lot. Scarlett leaned forward so that she could talk to Scott. "Where's Stiles?"

"Detention."

"Again?"

"Yeah, Allison grandfather, who is the new _principal_ by the way, made him stay." Scott said, clenching his jaw and looking out the window.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed and her face scrunched up in horror. "Wait, Gerard is our new principal?"

"How do you know his name?" Scott questioned.

"Allison told me while she was ranting on and on about her late night hook-ups with you." She said with a smirk. Scott glared at her and his eyes snapped to Derek. "Please, Scott. He already knows."

"Do you?" Scott directed the question at Derek.

"Yes." He answered simply. Scarlett shrugged at Scott and then turned her attention to Derek.

"Are you sure you wanna keep turning people from school with an _Argent_ as the principal?" Her tone had gone from joking to worried in spit second.

"I already told you. I need more than just Isaac for a pack." Derek said, earning a strange look from Scott.

"A-already told you? So you _have_ been talking." Scott said.

"Yeah, okay. We have. So what?" Scarlett asked, glaring at Scott.

"So you were lying!"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does! It matters because you're lying to me and running around with him!" Scott shouted, giving them both deadly looks.

Scarlett's expression turned solemn. "I'm not lying to you Scott." She shook her head and sat back. She couldn't even bring herself to feel slightly guilty. He had never directly asked if there was anything between the two of them and she had already admitted they had talked so, she wasn't lying. How dare he accuse her of that? After everything? If anyone's the liar then it's Scott. Scarlett thought back to earlier when she had asked about what he and Stiles were talking about. Scott wasn't even going to tell her about Isaac. She scoffed internally and glared at his seat, only looking up when she saw Derek giving her a reassuring look in the rear-view mirror. That only made her feel slightly better. He hadn't said anything but she still knew that he was on her side.

The remainder of the journey was silent. Not one of them spoke up until Derek pulled up to Isaac's house. There was yellow 'caution' tape around the perimeter of the house, marking it as off limits. That obviously wouldn't stop the three of them though.

"What exactly are we looking for here?" Scarlett asked, getting out of the car.

"You'll see." Derek said being very vague. She hated when he did that. It just led to her being confused about everything. Scarlett rolled her eyes and subtly moved closer to him when they entered the house with Scott in the lead, holding up a flashlight. Derek looked down at her and she looked back up, her big brown eyes filled with anxiousness. The emptiness and eeriness of the house made her wish she could grab his hand just to feel safe but that was a bad idea with Scott right in front of them.

She tried to brush off the feeling as she looked around. The house itself seemed normal enough if you didn't count the shattered glass on the floor or the smashed plates and tipped over chairs. Scarlett imagined what must've happened and she instantly cringed at the thought of Isaac's father hitting him. Abuse itself was bad enough but angel-faced Isaac being on the receiving end seemed to be even more disturbing.

"If Isaac didn't kill his father, then what did?" Scott asked, shining the light around the house again.

"I don't know yet." Derek replied.

"Well then, how do you know that he's telling the truth?"

"Have you ever met Isaac?" Scarlett asked Scott. "I'm pretty sure he'd be incapable of lying about this."

"That doesn't mean he would be incapable of actually doing it." Scott countered, not turning to look at her.

"He didn't do it." Derek said finally. "I trust my senses." Scarlett smirked in triumph as Scott looked away. The three of them made their way to the basement door and Scott opened it. Scarlett peered behind Derek to look at the flight of stairs leading down. She felt a shiver go up her spine, not from the cold air but from the sheer creepiness of it all. Any basement was creepy to her but this one…was even worse and she wasn't even in it yet. "You wanna learn? Start now."

Scott started down the stairs slowly, each one creaking as he stepped on it. When Scarlett went to follow behind Derek put an arm out to stop her. He shook his head at her and she sighed, standing back a bit.

"What's down there?" Scott asked wearily.

"Motive." Derek replied immediately.

"And what am I looking for?"

"Follow your senses." Scarlett got another chill and she instinctively grabbed Derek's hand, moving closer to him again. She kept her eyes trained on Scott's form in the darkness even as she laced her fingers through Derek's. He looked down at their hands and instead of tensing up at what he wasn't used to, he squeezed her hand gently and comfortingly. She looked up at him and gave a small smile before looking back down at the basement.

"What happened down here?" She heard Scott ask faintly.

"The kind of thing that leaves an impression." Scarlett's eyes widened and she fought off another shiver. Images of Isaac's father abusing him flashed through her head and it seemed to get colder the more she thought about it. She wasn't even a werewolf and yet, she could still sense the unhappiness and misery that filled the house.

Derek sensed her uneasiness and wished that he hadn't brought her along. What a stupid idea. For someone as compassionate as Scarlett to be in the house where someone she considered to be a friend was beaten in must be dreadful. Pushing away his stupidity, Derek led Scarlett down the stairs without making a single sound and keeping their hands intertwined. He waited until they were standing right next to Scott to turn on the flashlight making Scott jump.

"Open it." Derek said, gesturing to the freezer with a lock on it. Scott did just that and when he did Scarlett let out a small gasp. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at the fingernail scratches all over the inside of the freezer. There were so many of them. If Isaac was locked in there then he must've clawed at it until he bled because along with the scratches were blood stains. Scarlett cringed yet again and looked away, letting go of Derek's hand, shutting the horrible images out.

"This is why he said yes to you." Scott said, his voice filled with realisation.

"Can you blame him?" Scarlett asked in a small voice, gesturing to the freezer.

Derek looked at her and then back to Scott. "Everyone wants power." Scott clenched his jaw and took a step towards Scarlett so that he was slightly in front of her.

"If we help you, you have to stop. You can't just go around turning _people_ into werewolves." Scarlett scoffed slightly stepping away from Scott and closer to Derek. She wasn't going to let him speak for her. Scott gave her a dangerous look but she ignored it.

"I can if they're willing." Derek protested.

"Did you tell Isaac about the Argents? About being hunted?" Scott hissed at him. That was a good point. Being hunted was a major part of all of this and accepting those consequences to become a werewolf seemed pretty brave or pretty stupid.

Derek nodded. "Yes. And he still asked."

"Then he's an idiot."

"And you're the idiot dating Argent's daughter." Derek replied immediately, catching Scott out at being hypocritical. "If _I _know about it then how long do you think it's going to take for them to find out? You saw what happens to an omega. With me, you learn how to use all of your senses. With me you learn _control_." Derek looked at Scott's hand and lifted it up to show him the claws that were growing from his nails. Scarlett swallowed uneasily as she looked. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. "Even on a full moon."

Scott yanked his hand out of Derek's grip, turning to glare at him. "If I'm with you, I lose her."

"It's better than dying." Scarlett muttered. She was completely torn between wanting both Allison and Scott to be happy by being together and at the same time wanting Scott to keep breathing and being with her was not the way to do that. Eventually the Argents would find out that they were sneaking around again and then they would waste no time in cutting Scott in half and that was just something Scarlett wasn't willing to let happen.

"You're gonna lose her anyway." Derek added on. "You know that." He shut the freezer and glanced at Scarlett again before walking away.

"Wait." Scott said making Derek turn back. "I'm not part of your pack…but I want him out. He's my responsibility too."

"Why? Because he's one of us?"

There was a small pause before Scott looked up again. "Because he's innocent."

* * *

Stiles pulled up in front of Isaac's house and Scarlett hopped in the back of the jeep, followed by Derek who sat in the front. When they were both in, Stiles took off towards the police station.

"So, we're just gonna go in there and get him out, hoping no one sees us?" Scarlett asked incredulously from the back.

"Yeah, pretty much." Stiles nodded. Scarlett let out a breath and looked out the window for the rest of the drive which wasn't that long. Stiles parked outside the station and they all looked through the window at the girl on desk-duty.

"Okay, the keys to every cell are in a password protected lockbox in my father's office. The problem is getting passed the front desk." Stiles explained to them.

Derek nodded. "I'll distract her." He said, about to open the door until Stiles put his hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa. You? You're not going in there." Derek looked at Stiles hand then back up to Stiles continuously, giving him a deadly look. "I'm taking my hand off."

"I was exonerated." Derek said.

"True." Scarlett murmured.

"You're still a person of interest."

"True…"

"An innocent person." Derek countered.

"Also true." Both of them turned to give Scarlett a look and she shrugged.

Stiles turned back to Derek, ignoring what Scarlett said again. "You? An innocent person? Yeah, right!" Derek gave Stiles a glare. "Alright, what's your plan?"

"To _distract_ her." Derek said obviously.

"Uh-huh, how?" Stiles asked. "What? You gonna punch her in the face?"

Derek gave a short unamused laugh. "By talking to her." Scarlett perked up at that, not really liking the sound of it.

"You mean…flirting with her?" She asked as subtly as possible, trying to not let the jealousy show through.

"Talking to her." Derek corrected, glancing back at her. She rolled her eyes and sat back again.

"Okay, give me a sample. What're you gonna open with?" Stiles asked. Derek looked away and sighed, giving Stiles a blank look. "Dead silence…that should work beautifully. Any other ideas?"

Derek pondered the thought for a second before replying. "Thinking about punching you in the face." Scarlett let out a small almost inaudible laugh but Derek, of course, still heard it and he smirked slightly.

Stiles stared at him before sighing. "Just go." He said, gesturing to the door. Stiles got out as well and Scarlett followed him. They let Derek enter the station first while they waited behind for a few seconds before creeping to the door and peering behind it.

"Good evening, how can I help…" A delighted smile appeared on the woman's face when she looked up and saw Derek. "You?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and ignored the jealousy that was clawing away at her as Derek flashed the woman a dazzling smile. That was the kind of smile that was reserved for Scarlett and it made her blood boil watching him flirt away. Sure, it would distract the woman. It would distract anyone. Derek was already sexy as hell. Add his smile to that and he could have anyone go weak at the knees.

"Um…I had a question." Scarlett watched as Stiles rolled his eyes as well. "Uh, sorry. I'm a little- little thrown. I wasn't expecting someone…" Stiles tugged on Scarlett's arm, snapping her out of her fixed glaring and motioning for her to follow him. They casually started to walk by the desk as Derek kept the woman entranced.

"Like, me?" The woman asked with a blush. Stiles and Scarlett had made it safely past the desk and when they got to the door, Scarlett held onto it and looked back at Derek and the girl at the desk.

"Well, I was gonna say so incredibly beautiful but yeah, I guess that'd be the same thing." Derek said, still smiling away. Scarlett narrowed her eyes and scoffed slightly, shaking her head until Stiles gripped her arm and yanked her away from the door.

"Am I seeing things or were you ready to rip that girl's head off?" Stiles asked when they got into the Sheriff's office.

"What?" Scarlett asked innocently.

"You were jealous." He stated, giving her a look.

"I wasn't jealous." She protested fiercely. "I was just annoyed by his tactics…you know women don't like to be…" She was going to ramble on about pointless shit but Stiles gave her a 'cut the crap' look. "Shut up." She shoved his arm and he laughed slightly, going to the lockbox and putting in the code. When it opened they both looked at it in confusion because it was completely empty. They looked at each other with raised brows.

They heard the sound of keys in the hall and they started towards it. "Oh, no…" Stiles murmured. Scarlett kept looking behind and around them and when she was about to walk into the hall with Stiles, he pushed her back.

"Oh, uh…just looking for…" There was a silence and Scarlett couldn't see what was happening from behind the wall but her head snapped up when she heard struggling and she ran around to see a man dragging Stiles away.

"Stiles!" She yelled, running after them. Stiles pulled the fire alarm as the man dragged him into the back room where the holding cell was. Scarlett managed to grab onto Stiles' hand and yank him away from the guy, or hunter, when he was about to drop him to the floor. Stiles and Scarlett both scrambled backwards, clinging to each other as they took in the bashed-in and open cell door where Isaac was supposed to be. There was a short silence before Isaac appeared out of nowhere, in werewolf form, growling and knocking the hunter out of the way. As the two of them struggled, Scarlett moved to the other side of the room with Stiles. They watched as Isaac made the man drop the wolfsbane and smashed his head against the wall rendering him unconscious. Isaac growled again and turned to face towards the other teens as Derek appeared, crushing the vile of wolfsbane with his shoe. When he saw Isaac about to go for Scarlett and Stiles he stepped in front of them and let out a roar that sent Isaac whimpering in the corner, turning back to his normal self.

"How did you do that?" Stiles asked shakily, still holding onto Scarlett who was looking at Derek in pure admiration.

Derek turned to look at the two of them. "I'm the Alpha." Scarlett couldn't help but smile brightly at him. He grinned back at her momentarily before facing Isaac again who looked freaked out. "Come on." He helped Isaac up and without another word the two of them left, leaving Scarlett and Stiles behind. They both moved to the centre of the room, looking at the knocked-out hunter on the floor.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Scarlett said.

"Yeah." Stiles nodded in agreement. They both looked up when they heard footsteps. Sheriff Stilinksi walked in with other deputies and they looked at the entire room, shocked. Scarlett and Stiles exchanged looks before taking in the room again. "Uh…he did it." Stiles said, pointing to the unconscious hunter.

Sheriff Stilinksi looked at the both of them and shook his head in disappointment. Did it _always_ have to be them? "We're gonna need statements from both of you. And a proper explanation of just what the hell happened here."

* * *

"_So, why isn't Allison answering her phone?"_ Lydia asked over the phone as Scarlett wrote down an answer to her math question. Lydia had been on the phone for about half an hour ranting about Jackson while Scarlett sat and did homework.

"She's with Scott. They usually both turn their phones off when they're together." Scarlett said with a sigh.

"_This isn't fair, you know. Allison gets to run around in secret with Scott and you get your mystery boy toy and I…get slated by the entire school." _Lydia's voice turned sadder and Scarlett felt bad. She knew that wasn't what Lydia was upset about. As much as she went on about how she didn't care about Jackson anymore, Scarlett could tell it was killing her that they weren't together anymore. Not to mention he's being a total dick to her. In Scarlett's eyes she thought Lydia needed someone much better but she could also understand her longing for Jackson. She was in love with him and even though he would deny it over and over again, he was in love with her as well.

"Okay one, I do not have a mystery boy toy and two, don't be jealous of Allison and Scott. I don't even think they're going to be together much longer anyway."

"_What does that mean?"_

Scarlett let her pencil fall on her book and she closed it over. "It means that- Oh my God!" She shouted, clutching her chest as she spun around in her chair to see Derek sitting on her bed.

"_Scar? What was that?"_ Lydia asked worriedly. Scarlett glared at Derek and grabbed her phone from the desk.

"It was nothing. I just…have to go." She said quickly.

"_Wait! Is it your boy toy? Is he there? Who is he? Can I-"_

"Goodbye Lydia." Scarlett snapped, ending the call. She looked up at a smirking Derek. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Well I got here at 'mystery boy toy.'"

"You know, you could warn me before you just show up in my room." Scarlett said, grabbing her stuff off of the desk and putting it all away in her schoolbag.

"You could always just lock your window." Derek said simply.

"It's broken." Scarlett told him, giving him a blank look. He grinned and stood up, stepping towards her and putting his hands on her waist.

"So I'm your boy toy?" He asked with a smirk.

"Course not. You're my _mystery_ boy toy…" Scarlett said teasingly before leaning up to kiss him. Saying that made her think about what he actually was to her. They hadn't made it official or anything, they didn't label it and no one knew anything about what went on between the two of them and Scarlett always worried that Scott might end up finding out and if that happened then everything else would be shot to hell.

Derek turned them around and pushed her onto the bed, kissing her more fiercely. She moaned softly when he started sucking on her neck. They both managed to get his jacket off of him without breaking the contact and his shirt was next to go. He allowed her to flip them over so that she was on top as their tongues fought with each other. She pulled away for a breath, pushing her messy hair back with one hand so that it wasn't all in her face while his hands moved up and down her sides, pushing her shirt up further.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked quietly.

He nodded to her, eyes bright. "Anything."

"What…what, uh, are we, exactly?" She didn't want to have to bring it up but it was inevitable. They would have to face it at some point and as much as she loved the excitement of sneaking around with him and meeting up secretly, she needed to know what was actually happening between them.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," She sighed. "I don't want to lie to Scott." It was true, she didn't. She wanted her relationship with her twin to be a good one and that meant they couldn't keep things from each other, especially things like this.

Derek looked at her incredulously. "You wanna tell Scott? About us?"

Scarlett looked down and bit her lip. "No. I mean, well, not really. He would freak and have me locked up. It's just, I hate lying to him at all. And I - you know what? Never mind. I'm just being paranoid and stupid and forget I asked." She said with a slight fake laugh, leaning down to kiss him again. He only kissed back for a second before he flipped them around again. She looked up at him with sad eyes as he used his thumbs to stroke her rosy cheeks.

"If you wanna tell him then we'll tell him. I think it's a horrible idea but we'll do it if that's what you want." He told her truthfully, looking back and forth between her eyes.

She smiled sadly and managed to flip them around yet again. "Telling him would only cause havoc…" She kissed him again, wanting to forget the whole thing and just be with him but he actually wanted to talk about it because he could tell she was upset by it and he hated seeing her upset. He sat up so that she was straddling him and he gave her a look.

"Scarlett."

"Derek."

He rolled his eyes at her and began mindlessly rubbing her bare thighs that were exposed by her shorts. "In answer to your original question, we can be whatever you want. Sure, it's not exactly gonna be ideal if people know about…us, but I don't care. The perks of being an Alpha…I don't have to live by someone else's rules. _We_ don't have to live by someone else's rules and if you want people to know then people will know. It could end up being dangerous but who the hell cares? I would never let anything happen to you. I swear." The unshed tears shone in Scarlett's eyes as her heart swelled. "Besides, you're already mine anyway."

Scarlett let out a small laugh and she smiled as she kissed him again, letting one single tear drop. She was pretty amazed that Derek had just said all that. She never thought he'd actually be up for people knowing about them but he was, apparently, and that meant so much to her because he wasn't that kind of guy. He didn't do dating or cute couple stuff or any of it but he was willing to announce that they were together to everyone, for her. And she was perfectly fine just knowing that.

"We don't need to tell anyone. Or label it or anything. I'm happy just keeping things the way they are and if somehow people find out then we'll deal with it as it comes along. But in all honesty…as much as I hate lying, I like the thrill of this secret little relationship and I don't want to change that." It was his turn to crack a smile and he pulled her close to him, crushing their lips together and kissing her with everything he had.

After a while of making out, Derek pulled away. "I need to get back to Isaac."

"Where is he anyway?" Scarlett queried, still sitting on him.

"You know the abandoned subway station?"

"Seriously? That's where you're hiding out?"

"Yeah." He shrugged, nudging her off of him so he could get his shirt back on. Scarlett bit her lip as she looked at him longingly. She didn't really want to be left alone. Her mom was at work as usual and she had no clue when Scott would be home. "What is it?" He asked when he saw the look on her face.

"Do you really need to go…right now?" She asked.

"Why?"

"Scott isn't home yet and neither is my mom and I would feel much better if you just stayed for a little longer. I mean, you don't have to. If Isaac's all alone then you should go." She told him, shaking her head slightly.

Derek looked out the window and then back to Scarlett. She was looking at him with her big doe eyes and he couldn't bring himself to refuse. "He'll be fine by himself." He eventually said, putting his jacket down on her chair and turning back to her smiling form.

For the next hour or so the two of them lay on her bed, not kissing or touching, just talking. They kept the topic away from werewolves as much as possible and instead just talked about random things like how much Scarlett wanted to leave Beacon Hills when she graduated. And how she planned to get a job that allowed her to travel the world. They talked about Derek's time in New York with Laura which eventually led them to the discussion of his family and what they used to be like and when that got a little depressing, Scarlett started bringing up embarrassing family stories from when she was younger. She told him all about her dad leaving and when she and Scott went to live with him for a little while. After that, she gushed about how much better living with her mom was and how much she loved her and looked up to her. And all the while it seemed as if them being a normal couple might actually work but knowing how their lives now worked…it wasn't likely to be like that all the time.


	14. Chapter 14: They Call That Jealousy

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Okay so without giving anything away about what exactly happens in this chapter, please don't hate Scarlett for how she reacts to things...**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Scarlett let out a loud cry of pain as she ended up falling onto her ankle in an awkward position. Everyone stopped the routine and the music and they all crowded around her as she lay on her back, clutching her ankle to her body in pain.

"Is it broken?" Taylor asked in a panic. Scarlett replied with another pain-filled noise. "Guys, I think it's broken."

"It isn't broken." Brooke drawled from beside her.

"How would you know? It's your fault anyway; we all told you that move would end badly!" Someone else snapped at her. Scarlett groaned again and sat up.

"It's not broken. It hurts like hell though. I think it might be sprained." She told them.

"You're not a doctor. We should get you to the hospital and have them check it out." Taylor said.

"No, no. I don't need the hospital." Scarlett protested, standing up with the help of a few people.

"Whatever, I'm taking you to the hospital." Taylor told her, leading her away from the squad.

"You can't just cut practice!" Brooke called after them.

"Screw you. If the roles were reversed you would be asking for an ambulance!" Taylor shouted back. Scarlett smirked, impressed that Taylor had it in her to put Brooke in her place.

Taylor drove them both to the hospital and when they got there they went straight for the front desk.

"Is my mom here?" Scarlett asked one of the nurses that she knew worked with Melissa.

"She's with a patient right now but she should be out soon, if you wanna have a seat and wait. Is there anything I can help with Scarlett?" The woman asked. Though they had met before, the woman's name seemed to escape Scarlett completely so she had to check her name tag to remember.

"Uh, no. I'll just wait for my mom. Thanks Cindy." Scarlett smiled and turned to her blonde friend who was waiting patiently. "You don't have to stay you know. I can call Scott to come and get me when my mom's checked it out."

"Well I don't really want to leave you by yourself." Taylor said sincerely. Scarlett shook her head and smiled.

"Really, it's fine. Go, you'll get in trouble if you miss school."

Taylor pondered it for a moment before answering. "You know, you're probably right. I need to go and talk Brooke out of whatever punishment she's thinking of giving you anyway."

Scarlett laughed melodically at that. "Thanks Taylor. I'll see you back at school."

"Catch ya later Scar." Taylor told her, pulling Scarlett in for a quick hug before smiling and hurrying out of the hospital and back to school where she would have to face Brooke.

Scarlett watched as Taylor left, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her as she went. Taylor was a nice girl, bubbly, fun and bright, not in the smart way though. She could be a bit dim-witted at times but she attracted positive energy which was good. She was well-liked by almost everyone even though she was known for sleeping around quite a bit. People saw past that though and they got on well with her just like Scarlett did. Not to mention that they had been friends since the fifth grade. They weren't close but Taylor was still a good friend to have.

Sighing quietly, Scarlett sat down in one of the chairs that were in the waiting area, bouncing her knee while she propped her injured ankle up on her thigh and looked around.

"Scar?" She heard her mother ask. Scarlett looked at Melissa and stood up. "What're you doing here?"

Scarlett gestured to her ankle which was red and slightly swollen. "Cheerleading's a bitch." She shrugged. Melissa sighed but laughed slightly.

"Come on, we'll get it bandaged up." She said, leading her into a spare room. Melissa touched Scarlett's ankle tenderly, which made her hiss slightly. "Stop being a drama queen. It isn't broken or sprained. You just bruised it pretty bad." Melissa took out some gauze and started wrapping it around her daughter's bruising ankle gently. When it was all done she took her ankle and pressed a soft kiss to the bandage like she always did when Scarlett injured herself. "All done."

"Thank you momma bear." Scarlett smiled at her.

"How are you getting back home?" Melissa asked curiously, suddenly becoming aware that Scarlett wasn't with anyone and doubting that she had driven herself there.

"I'll just call Scott. I think he has a free period anyway." Scarlett shrugged. Melissa nodded and gave Scarlett a loving hug, kissing her head and then smoothing down any flyaway hairs that she had.

"I'll see you at home then kiddo." She said as the two of them walked out of the room. "Love you."

"Love you mom." Scarlett said, taking out her phone and heading in the other direction. She dialled Scott's number and started walking around aimlessly. She stopped when she saw two figures emerging from the corridor where the morgue was.

"_Hello?_" Scott answered.

"Derek?" Scarlett asked, narrowing her eyes at the two people ahead of her. His head snapped back towards her and so did the girl's he was with. Scarlett knew her…Erica Reyes. She also knew _about _her and how she was epileptic and a bit of a loner. Her best guess was that Derek was planning on turning her but the way they were looking so close made Scarlett uneasy and she quickly turned around, pretending to not have seen them.

"_No, Scar. It's Scott. Why'd you say Derek?_"

"Scarlett!" She heard Derek behind her but she ignored him, picking up her pace and trying not to put too much pressure on her ankle which was beginning to throb.

"I'm at the hospital Scotty, come pick me up. Now, please." She said, hanging up the phone and looking behind her. She sighed in relief when she saw no one but she jumped when she came face to face with Derek, who slammed her against the wall holding her arms. "What the hell?!"

"What's your problem?" He hissed at her.

Her eyes widened slightly as she struggled against his grip. "_My_ problem?" She hissed right back at him. "What the hell are you doing with Erica?"

"I'm helping her." He told her, tightening his grip and giving her a stern look.

"_Helping her_? Helping her by doing what? Turning her? My _ass." _She couldn't help the horrible jealousy that was sweeping through her like wildfire. If it was a normal day then she would have no competition with Erica Reyes because well, no one really took much notice of her. Everyone just saw her as the epileptic girl that wasn't as sociable as everyone else. And Scarlett thought those people were shallow. She felt bad for Erica most of the time but it was never really her problem, which sounds terrible. But right now, she didn't care. All she could think about was how if Derek just gave Erica the bite then all of her health problems would go away and she's become more confident. Like Scott had.

"Stop being jealous Scarlett." Derek said, rolling his eyes at her.

"I am not jealous Derek." She mocked him.

"Even if I couldn't hear your heart beat I would _still _know you're lying. I can literally feel the jealously seeping out of you. All of it." His voice was quiet but strict which only pissed Scarlett off further making her glare daggers at him until her phone started ringing. She looked at it quickly to see Scott's name appear, along with a text telling her he was almost there. Derek snatched the phone out of her hand and she grabbed for it.

"Hey! Give it back." She said angrily when she finally managed to push him away.

"No. Not until you tell me what your problem is." He said seriously, putting her phone in his pocket.

"_God_, you're such a dick!" Scarlett was seething at this point and she wasn't even sure why. She had no clue why she was getting so riled up over nothing, all she could think about was getting away from Derek at the moment. She was most definitely not in the mood for confrontation and that was what she was going to get if she stayed there for much longer. Shaking her head at him, anger swimming in her eyes, she pushed passed him roughly.

"Scar, wait." Derek tried to reason with her but it was too late, she had already stalked off outside leaving him to watch after her with a tormented expression. He couldn't make total sense of what had just happened but he was fairly certain that Scarlett had let the jealous side of her take over and he convinced himself that if he waited a while then her fiery temper would simmer down and they would both forget the strange outburst.

"What was that about?" Erica asked in a small voice once Derek had made his way back to where she was standing.

Derek shook his head, brushing off the display of pure jealousy and wrong assumptions. "It was nothing."

Scott pulled up outside just as Scarlett rushed out the door of the hospital. She sighed thankfully and hurried to the car, yanking the door open and slamming it shut behind her when she was seated. She sat up a little straighter and fixed her uniform and her makeup so that she didn't look so disorientated.

"What happened to you?" Scott asked, his tone suspicious and curious.

"Cheerleading accident. It's fine though, just a bruise. It'll be gone in a few days hopefully." Scarlett informed him, not letting the annoyance that she was feeling show in her voice. Scott caught a scent on her that smelled like Derek but he didn't bring it up because he just assumed it must've been something else although somewhere in the back of his mind, he was telling himself otherwise.

Scarlett sat with her head against the window, replaying what happened in her head over and over again. Why did she have to overreact all the fucking time? What was wrong with her? Of course there wasn't anything going on between Derek and Erica. They had _just _met and Scarlett had to go and jump to conclusions. Maybe she was just a paranoid bitch. No wonder Derek didn't go after her like she half expected him to, why the hell would he want to be around her when she had just acted like a complete brat? There was nothing for her to feel threatened about anyway, it was only Erica after all. She was harmless.

* * *

They got back to school a little while before lunch started so Scarlett used the time to change back into normal clothing and when lunch did roll around, Scarlett didn't feel like eating anything so she just sat next to Scott and Stiles, picking at her nails and occasionally checking her phone.

"I'll pick you up right after work tonight and we'll meet at the rink." Stiles told Scott, a look of excitement adorning his face as he spoke the words.

"The ice rink?" Scarlett queried. No one had told her anything about them going to the ice rink. And it wasn't as if she asked to be informed about every single thing that was happening in her brother's life it's just that he usually told her about stuff like that.

"Yeah, with Allison and Lydia." Stiles answered before, like Scott's, his attention turned to the entrance of the cafeteria. Everyone stopped to stare and look as Erica strutted in looking, well…_sexy_. Scarlett's eyes widened as she took in Erica's new appearance. She looked healthy for one, just like Scarlett suspected she would but the rest well, the rest she never guessed would've happened. Erica was sporting a pair of leopard print heels, a leather black miniskirt, a plain white shirt that exposed a generous amount of cleavage and a black leather jacket. Her hair didn't look dead and un-kept anymore. It was silky smooth and fell in voluptuous blonde curls. Then, there was her dramatic makeup. Eyes rimmed with black liner and her lips coated in red lipstick. Her outfit wasn't something Scarlett would ever wear but she had to admit that Erica looked good. And that made her sick to her stomach because it was _Derek _that had made her look that way.

They, being everyone in the cafeteria at the time, all watched as Erica leaned down to a random boy and took the apple off of his tray, taking a bite out of it innocently. Scarlett didn't even look up when Lydia slammed her hands down on their table, she was too entranced in the big display that Erica was putting on at the moment.

"What…the holy hell…is_ that_?" She asked.

"Erica." Scarlett stated, glaring at Erica's retreating figure before jumping up and walking after her as quickly as she could, followed by Scott and Stiles. When she made it outside she watched as Erica opened the passenger door to Derek's car, flashed the three of them a smile and then got in. Scarlett's blood boiled as Derek turned to face them, giving them one of his dazzling smiles and driving off with Erica. What the _hell_ just happened? Scarlett dug her nails into her palms trying to push away the jealousy. Was she seriously going to have to compete with Erica for Derek?

"Gimme the keys." Scarlett said, holding her hand out to Scott.

"Why?"

"Because I'm going home." She mumbled, grabbing the keys from him as soon as he took them out of his pocket. She turned away from the two of them and made her way to the car, ignoring the pain that her ankle was causing her. She had opted to stick with her cheerleading sneakers because she didn't think that walking in heels would be ideal but her ankle still hurt nonetheless.

On the drive home, Scarlett kept a scowl on her face as she thought about what she knew. So, Erica was now a werewolf who obviously couldn't wait to claw off Derek's clothes. Scarlett's scowl dropped and she sighed. She was being petty. Maybe that wasn't what Erica wanted. Maybe. But it still irked her that she was going to be dressing like that around him. And up until now, she'd never noticed how pretty Erica actually was. Nobody had. But now, Scarlett definitely felt threatened. She knew herself that she was pretty good looking and she could accept that because hey, a girl is a allowed to feel good about herself but now Erica was also extremely good looking and that would be completely fine if she wasn't going to be spending shit loads of time with Derek. Sure, Scarlett was being a little shallow but her relationship with Derek could crumble if Erica tried to get with him. Derek had already told Scarlett that she was his, that much was clear, but she had never voiced the fact that he was hers. And Scarlett was very protective over what was hers which could only mean trouble.

When Scarlett arrived home she screamed into a cushion, trying to rid herself of the frustration she was feeling. It didn't really help so she went on to making herself tea, her go-to relaxation method. She went upstairs to her room and sat on her bed, watching whatever cheesy movie was on TV at the time. She hardly paid attention to it though, her mind was still racing about everything and how she was going to make sure Derek remained hers. She wondered if he had even told Erica about them…he probably hadn't because they had said they wouldn't tell anyone which only made things worse. Maybe if she knew the truth about Derek's relationship with Scarlett then she would lay off. Then again, Scarlett could just be jumping to conclusions. But then maybe she wasn't. Derek was extremely attractive and if Erica thought that he was fair game then she could easily go for him.

After a while of contemplating whether or not she should change her appearance slightly to make herself more desirable, Scarlett decided against it. She was already desirable enough. And she refused to start dressing slutty. She had more class than that. And screw everything else. If Erica knew the truth then she wouldn't have a problem. Scarlett had already won Derek's affections so she was just overreacting, yet again. Derek thought Scarlett was beautiful. Did he think Erica fucking Reyes was beautiful? Scarlett sighed again as she answered her own question.

Probably.

Reaching into her pocket for her phone, she found it empty and remembered that Derek still had it. She groaned and looked at the clock for the time, realising that she should probably start getting ready for work. She quickly changed and headed out to the car where she saw Derek leaning against it. Despite everything she said about making sure he stayed hers, just the sight of him was enough to make her angry. Keeping a cold look on her face she walked towards him and stopped right in front of his intimidating stature.

"Move, I have a job to get to." Scarlett said quietly, not looking at him. His eyes trailed down to her ankle after noticing her limping slightly.

"What the hell happened?" He questioned, gesturing to her ankle.

"It was an accident." She answered simply.

"What kind of accident?" Derek demanded, feeling his temper rise at the thought of someone or something hurting his Scarlett.

"A cheerleading one. Now, can you please move? I'm gonna be late." She told him urgently.

"You can't keep running away Scarlett." He said with a sigh, still not too happy that she was injured but able to move on considering he knew that nothing had purposefully hurt her.

"I'm not running away. I'm asking you nicely to move so that I'm not late for work." Scarlett countered quickly.

"I'm not moving. Not until you talk to me. Not until you tell me what's going on with you."

"So you're just gonna stand there? All night? You sure Erica won't miss you?" Scarlett snapped before she could stop herself. Derek shook his head at her.

"Why are you getting so jealous?" He asked with a hint of amusement lacing his voice as he cupped the sides of her face, towering over her small frame.

"I already told you I'm not jealous. I just uh…I'm not-" She couldn't find the exact words to say to express what she was feeling without proving him right and sounding like a jealous bitch. "Taking a page from Lydia's book; I don't want to fall prey to society's desire to turn girls into insecure narcotic freaks but…that's- that's exactly what I am." She sighed finally, hanging her head, defeated by the weight of the truth. Derek stared at her, wondering how the hell she could possibly be feeling the way she was. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, not to mention she was smart and funny as well and she was idiotic to be jealous of Erica because Erica didn't hold a candle to Scarlett.

"Scarlett," He said softly, making her look up at him. "Despite what your crazy little mind thinks, I don't see Erica in that way. She's a part of my pack so she's more like family. She needed it though, that confidence boost. And I needed another werewolf."

"So you're not like…attracted to her, or anything?" Scarlett asked quietly, eyes filled with hope.

Derek laughed and shook his head. "No. But I am however, attracted to you." Scarlett blushed and gave him a small smile, leaning up to meet his lips with her own.

"But seriously, she better keep her hands off you. Oh and, where's my phone?" Scarlett flashed a bittersweet smile and Derek smirked, taking her phone out of his pocket and handing it to her before moving to open her door for her. "Well shit. I'm late." She told him with a small laugh, checking her phone once she was in the car. Derek closed the door for her and she smiled again before driving off way past the speed limit.

* * *

"Hey, whoa there hon." Mary said, taking the coffee out of Scarlett's hand as she stumbled again. "Is it your ankle?"

"I think so, it hurts like hell." Scarlett told her with a sigh. "My mom said it would be fine but I'm not too sure."

"I think you need some coffee." Mary told her, going about making her a shot of espresso. Scarlett took it gratefully and downed it quickly so that no one would see. There weren't many people in the café but still, she would be scolded if her boss saw her drinking the coffee. "Better?"

"Much." She nodded, walking to the till when she saw another customer. After that she and Mary took turns taking orders and when they weren't doing that they were talking about anything and everything.

"Wait, so let me get this right. You like this boy and he has some other girl?" Mary asked when Scarlett vaguely explained the Derek situation without mentioning any names.

"No. Not really, but there is another girl and I know I shouldn't feel threatened by her but I kind of do and I can't help it. She's fucking sexy." Scarlett told her exasperatedly.

"Oh pumpkin, if I were you I wouldn't worry about a thing. I had a similar problem back in school and you know what I did to solve it? I showed the dumb bitch that Tucker was _my _man and she backed off and now look at us, we're happy as pie." Mary told her, flashing a bright smile. Oh, if only it were that easy for Scarlett to do. But, she had already told Derek that she was fine with not telling anyone about them so if she told Erica then the whole speech would have been for nothing. Not to mention Derek had just reassured her that he only had eyes for her but Scarlett was still a little wary. "Besides, look at yourself sugar! I dare any bimbo to try and outshine you." Scarlett rolled her eyes and laughed. "If you really like this guy and he's genuine then I say go for it. I know you mentioned you hadn't told anyone yet but what are you waiting for? Ain't no one stopping you. And if he makes you happy then why not be happy publicly? Show everyone who he belongs to. Trust me; you'll feel a whole lot better once you do."

Scarlett looked at Mary, giving her a look of admiration. "When did you get so wise?"

Mary let out a melodic laugh. "Sweetie, I've been giving advice all my life. It's just what I do."

The two of them laughed again and then waited until the last people had left before clearing everything up and closing the shop. They were the only staff on tonight so they decided to walk out with each other once Mary had locked the back door.

"Alright Scar, well I'll see you later alright?" Mary said, stopping at her car.

"Yeah of course, drive safely." Scarlett told her with a smile, walking to her own car.

"You too sweet pea!" When Scarlett was outside her car, Mary was already driving past. They waved at each other and Scarlett opened her door about to get in when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stick up like someone was watching her. She whipped her head around quickly. There was nothing there so she checked all around her again and she thought she saw a flash of something…like a tail, going into the alley across the street but she shook it off and guessed that it was just her mind playing tricks on her to freak her out. She quickly got into the car and drove away, not noticing the figure watching her from the shadows or the creature next to them.

* * *

"He told you to _spy_ on Lydia?" Scarlett asked Allison, referring to Mr Argent.

"More or less. He said…'we want you to keep an eye on your friend.' Doesn't that basically mean spying?" Allison asked as they walked through the halls together.

Scarlett thought back to Derek telling her to keep an eye on Isaac. Did he mean that she was to spy on him…? Didn't really matter anymore. Isaac hadn't been in school for days, probably because the cops were after him. "Well, not necessarily but I think that's exactly what it means in this case."

"Great." Allison sighed, pulling her binder to her chest.

"So…how was the date last night?" Scarlett asked, trying to get onto a happier subject.

Allison smiled like she was thinking back to it and she nodded. "It was really good, while it lasted at least. I felt horrible for Lydia though. She seemed so freaked out. I don't blame her for taking the day off."

Scott had told Scarlett last night that they ended up cutting the whole thing short because Lydia started screaming and having some sort of panic attack. "I wonder what's going on with her…Why she's having all these hallucinations that are scaring her."

"What hallucinations?" Allison asked with a raised brow.

"She doesn't talk about it much but she let it slip when we were on the phone one night. Apparently she's seeing things. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Peter attacking her and her wandering around in the woods I just wish I knew what it was exactly so that we could help her." Scarlett said, looking down. The two of them came to a stop at the end of the corridor when they saw Erica pushing Scott up against the lockers before looking over to them, obviously trying to get under their skin. Well, mostly Allison's but it bugged Scarlett as well. "Come on. Scott can handle himself." Scarlett took Allison's arm gently and led her away.

"Are you gonna come get lunch?" Allison asked as they approached the cafeteria. Scarlett looked inside and made a face.

"I think I'm gonna go sit outside and study instead. I'm not in the mood for people." Scarlett said with a small smile. "See you later."

"Bye Scar." Allison said, walking into the cafeteria while Scarlett headed in the other direction. Just as Scarlett was about to walk outside she felt herself being slammed up against the wall.

"Hey there princess." Erica said sarcastically, keeping once clawed hand pressed against Scarlett's throat just hard enough so that she was having a little trouble breathing properly.

"What the hell do you want?" Scarlett croaked out, putting her hand on Erica's wrist trying to pry it off but to no avail.

"I just wanna talk." She said with a smirk.

"Then talk." Scarlett said, glaring furiously at her.

"Oh look at you…so helpless. You may be bold and fearless in social confrontation but when it comes to the physical…well, let's just say you aren't exactly the one with the power to crush someone else."

"I've never done anything to you." Scarlett breathed.

Erica ignored her and continued with what she was saying. "You've always been the pretty one, the popular one, the one that the guys want and you've never had to be the one to watch someone else in the limelight your whole life. But now you will. You see, now that I've turned, I'm beautiful and more confident and you, well you get to sit back and watch as I get the attention, not for being the epileptic freak but for being hot." Erica touched Scarlett's cheek with one of her claws, dragging it down, not breaking the skin. When Scarlett cringed Erica smirked again. "Fun chat, but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere."

She let go of Scarlett's throat and Scarlett stumbled a little bit, glaring after her with wide eyes. Putting her hands to her throat, she rubbed it, replaying what just happened. The girl had some serious issues. Scarlett had never once done anything to her or said anything and yet she was targeting her. What the hell was that all about? If Erica was trying to make a point that she wanted popularity then she made it loud and clear and Scarlett couldn't care less. Good for her that she was more confident but Scarlett didn't really need her to tell her that. Was she supposed to feel threatened about losing her popularity status? Because she wasn't. In fact, she wouldn't really care if nobody liked her anymore. All she cared about was Erica staying away from Derek. If she did that then they really wouldn't have a problem.

Scarlett looked up when she heard footsteps coming towards her.

"Scar…what happened? Are you okay?" Scott asked, literally sensing how shaken up she was. Scarlett looked at him blankly before nodding and after a few seconds she threw herself into his arms. "Hey, it's okay." He said, stroking her hair as she clung to him silently.

"She's crazy Scott." Scarlett told him once she pulled away.

"Erica?" He asked, seeming to already know. She nodded and sighed, picking her bag up off the floor. "Okay, just come with me. We're going to the ice rink to talk Boyd out of getting the bite."

Scarlett raised a brow at her brother. "Why are we doing that?"

Scott looked at her incredulously. "Are you freaking kidding me? He could get killed by letting Derek do this. If not by the bite then by the Argent's who are planning on killing every werewolf they find!"

"Good point." Scarlett said after a few seconds. It was only really hitting her how badly things could turn out if Derek kept turning teenagers. If any of them died…it wouldn't just be on him, it would be on all of them. Scott nodded at the realisation on her face before the two of them jogged off to the car.

* * *

Scarlett shivered upon entering the ice rink. Of course that would be the day that she chose to wear a bralette and a skirt. She pulled the sleeves of her cardigan down around her hands as she held onto Scott as to not slip on the ice.

"Boyd!" Scott called out to Boyd who was on the Zamboni, cleaning and smoothing the ice. "I just wanna talk! Come on Boyd, please." Boyd ignored them and kept the machine moving. "Did Derek tell you everything? And I don't just mean going out of control on the full moons I mean _everything_." When Scott said that Boyd turned off the Zamboni and turned to face them.

"He told me about the hunters."

"And that doesn't freak you out enough to say no?" Scarlett asked him.

"Whatever you want, there's other ways to get it." Scott tried to reason with him but Boyd cut him off.

"Look, I just wanna not eat lunch alone every day." Scarlett looked down, feeling bad for the guy. She understood why Derek chose the people he did. They were all outcasts that needed help and confidence and for a second she thought maybe she and Scott should stop and just let it happen. Scarlett herself had never had the problem of not having friends and neither had Scott really, he had always had Stiles and now he was actually popular since he got the bite. So, why shouldn't these guys get that chance as well?

"If you're looking for friends, you can do…a lot better than Derek."

"Scott." Scarlett hissed, elbowing him. She may not agree a hundred percent with what Derek was doing but they were still together and even though Scott didn't know it, it didn't mean she couldn't try and stick up for him.

"What?" Scott hissed back.

"That really hurt Scott." They heard from behind them. The twins both turned to see Derek with his arms behind his back, Isaac and Erica by his side. "If you're going to review me…at least take a…consensus." He said, gesturing to the other werewolves. "Erica, how's life been for you since we met?"

"Hmm. In a word…transformative." She said before growling at them, flashing her fangs. Scarlett thought back to earlier and it made her glare even harder at Erica.

"Isaac?" Derek asked.

"Well I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive but other than that I'm great." Isaac answered casually. Derek's gaze turned to Scarlett and Scott followed his gaze, eyes narrowing at the look Derek was giving his sister. Scarlett looked at them both with a blank expression. She didn't want Scott to assume anything from the two of them exchanging longing looks, which may have already happened.

"This isn't exactly a fair fight." Scott said, tearing his eyes away from Scarlett to train them on Derek, giving him a glare.

"Then go home Scott." Derek said with a carefree smile. He nodded to Isaac and Erica and they immediately went for Scott and Scarlett but they stopped when Scott slammed his fist against the ice, breaking it and making Scarlett move away quickly. When Scott looked back up he had shifted and Scarlett moved even further away towards the exit so that she wasn't caught up in the brawl. She hoped to God that Derek wouldn't let them actually kill Scott but at the same time she had a feeling that Scott would be able to take the both of them.

"I meant fair for them." Scott growled loudly causing Scarlett to jump and trip backwards. She braced herself for the impact of the cold ice but it never came. Instead she found that Derek had caught her and when she straightened up, he didn't let go.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scarlett asked, her voice holding the same amount of worry that her face did. Derek spared her a glance but otherwise ignored her question, turning his attention back to the other werewolves. Angered at the silence she received from Derek, Scarlett decided to ignore the grip on her arm for the time being and look at the fight taking place.

Scott threw Isaac across the rink and he slammed Erica into the Zamboni where Boyd still sat, watching the fight. When Isaac got back up, he walked to Scott and Scott was ready to take him but Erica got a grip on him from behind and they managed to throw him across the ice. He rebounded quickly and went for Isaac. When Scott had him on the ground though, Erica jumped on his back clawing at him. For a minute it looked like Scott wasn't going to get out and Scarlett panicked.

"Scott!" She shouted, trying to tug her arm away from Derek. His grip on her only tightened while he watched on intently. "Derek, please. They're hurting him!" She struggled against him and he continued to hold her back.

"He'll heal. Stop struggling." He said sternly, watching in slight surprise as Scott managed to knock both Isaac and Erica out. When Scarlett saw this, she smiled and felt the need to cheer for her brother's victory but she contained herself.

"Don't you get it?! He's not doing this for you! He's just adding to his own power!" Scott shouted at the other two betas on the ground. "It's all about him. You may think he's giving you some kind of gift but all he's done has turned you into a bunch of guard dogs!" Scott gripped them and sent them sliding across the ice to Derek and Scarlett's feet.

Scarlett glanced at Derek and then looked down again. She didn't want to believe that it was all about power for Derek. She really didn't, but she might end up having no choice because it seemed to be becoming truer and truer. And that thought hurt her deeply. What if in the end he decided that she wasn't enough for him? That she didn't add to his power in any way so he just tossed her aside like she was nothing? Thinking about that scared her more than she'd care to admit.

"It's true. It is about power." Scarlett's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at Derek who had let her go by this point and was now walking towards Scott. She watched with a panicked expression as Derek, now fully shifted, head-butted Scott and then slashed his torso, punching and hitting him until he slammed him against the ice. Scott spat out a mouthful of blood and choked slightly when Derek pressed his foot against Scott's throat.

Scarlett couldn't stand watching any longer so she ran towards them. "Derek, stop!" She shouted, pushing him out of the way and sliding on her knees next to Scott, making sure he was okay. Scott was groaning in pain and clutching his side. "Scott the struggling is only going to make it worse." Scarlett told him, checking his side. He sat up slightly when Boyd jumped down from the Zamboni about to follow Derek.

"Don't! You don't wanna be like him." Scott said gruffly.

Scarlett looked up at Boyd as well. "You're right." He said, lifting his sweatshirt to reveal the bite. "I wanna be like you." Scarlett shook her head slightly and looked at Derek who was already looking at her as if he was disappointed in her. Well screw him. She watched all four of them walk away before turning her full attention to Scott who actually needed her help.

"I'll be fine." He said shortly, pushing her hands away and standing up. Scarlett gave him an incredulous look and shook her head at him.

"You won't be fine unless we get you patched up, Scotty. Here, just let me help." She pleaded, trying to examine his injuries while he kept refusing. "Scott!" Scarlett snapped making him sigh but stop pushing her away. "Thank you." She lifted his shirt again to look at the deep scratches on his side and cringed at the sight of them, gingerly touching the skin around them making Scott wince. Scarlett let his shirt drop and stepped away slightly. "You need to see Deaton."

"Yeah, I will as soon as you tell me what's going on between you and Derek." Scott said, giving her a stern look that said he meant business. Scarlett knew he wasn't just messing around now. He wanted an answer and she wasn't capable of keeping him in the dark about her relationship. He was her brother after all, her twin, the person she so often turned to and somewhere inside of her; Scarlett knew that he deserved to know the truth.

"Scotty look," She began but Scott cut her off quickly.

"Scarlett I just want to know the truth. I-I know that you've been keeping things from me because believe it or not, you're not as good as a liar as you think you are." Scott stated, shaking his head slightly.

Scarlett nodded in understanding and decided that she needed to man-up and just say it. Say what she needed to say and then it would be out there. Scott would know the truth and she wouldn't be burdened by the weight of the secret any longer. "You're right. No more bullshit. I'll tell you…but I think you already know."

"Know what?" Scott pressed. Even though Scarlett was right, he had a pretty good idea of what she was keeping from him, he was not up for accepting it. He refused to believe what his instincts were telling him and what they had been telling him for weeks now.

Scarlett opened her mouth to speak but the words seemed to just keep getting stuck in her throat. There was no easy way to say it or explain it. She knew what the outcome would be. Scott would be pissed, for a while at least. She was counting on the fact that he would see past it and forgive her although, in Scarlett's mind, there wasn't much for him to forgive her for. It's not like she had done anything wrong. It's not like she chose to fall for Derek because Scott didn't like him. That wasn't it at all. "I- we, uh…Derek and I…we are- you know, we're kind of um, together…"

Scott's stare hardened and his jaw clenched tightly making Scarlett's heartbeat speed up immensely as she could practically see the anger bubbling within him. "_What_?" He demanded harshly. Much to Scott's dismay, he had been right and now, he was furious.

"Please, Scott, just listen for a second-"

"How together are you?" Scott asked, his voice low and dangerous as he took a step towards Scarlett who immediately took a step back.

"W-what?" Her voice wavered from the sheer fright she was feeling at the moment.

"How. Together. _Are._ You?" He asked again. He talked slowly this time, speaking each word clearly as his fists clenched at his sides.

Something snapped inside Scarlett suddenly and she took a moment to think about what was happening. This was her brother. Why the hell was she scared of her brother? Scott would never hurt her. She drew in a breath, straightening up and gaining more confidence. "You already know Scott. I know you do. You're just afraid to hear it." Scott was a little taken aback by her words but he kept his menacing demeanour perfectly intact. "You're just afraid to hear it because of how much you _hate_ Derek. But you know what? You need to hear it. You need to know that it doesn't matter what you think, what you say or what you do, _nothing_ is going to change the fact that I've already fucked Derek." Something dark came over Scarlett and it was as if she couldn't stop the words falling out of her mouth. She let out a jeering laugh and sneered at Scott. "And you didn't even know…so much for those werewolf senses."

"Stop it." Scott bit out, not wanting to hear or believe what Scarlett had just said. He didn't want to hear about these things. Not from Scarlett. Not from his little sister. And what's worse is that she wasn't just talking about some random guy. She was talking about Derek. Derek who was dangerous and would only end up hurting her in the end, both physically and emotionally.

"Why, Scott? When it's the truth. You wanted to know the truth right? Now you have it." Scarlett hadn't planned to be so cruel. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it. She guessed it was just because she knew that Scott was going to be mad and she didn't think he had the right. Why the hell did he get to be happy with Allison and she wasn't allowed to be happy with Derek? She guessed that since he was going to be pissed anyway, she had nothing to lose.

"You know that whatever he's told you is a lie, right?" Scott questioned nastily. "You know that he doesn't give a damn about you? All he wants is power and if you can't see that then you're pretty stupid Scarlett."

"Shut up." Scarlett barked, glaring ferociously at Scott.

"Can't you see that what you think you have with him isn't real? He doesn't care about you."

"What would you know about what Derek cares about?" Scarlett shouted. "You don't know him, Scott! Not like I do."

"I know him enough to know that all he's gonna do is dump you on your ass." Scott bit back, his words seeming to contain venom that stung Scarlett like a bitch.

"You're a real dick, you know that?" Scarlett said, tears stinging her eyes. She never meant to get in a fight but it was too late now and she was pissed and upset.

Scott's eyes widened a fraction and he sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I don't care what Derek has told you. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that he's dangerous and not good for you. He's power-hungry and that's all he is. If you can't see that then- then, I don't know what to tell you. But if you stick around with him then you're gonna end up hurt or worse."

"That's not true and you know it." Scarlett protested fiercely.

"Get your head out of your ass Scarlett. It is true. And you should leave him."

Scarlett's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "Fuck you." Scott's eyes widened before filling with hurt. He hadn't expected her to say that and he hadn't expected two little words to sting as much as they did. She may as well have just slapped him across the face. Instead of saying anything else, Scott let his hurt and disappointment show through him shaking his head at her and turning away to leave her there.

When Scott had left Scarlett ran her shaky hands through her hair before falling to the ice on her knees. She ignored the cold sting of the ice against her skin as she immediately regretted everything she had said. She had allowed her temper to get the best of her and she shouldn't have let that happen. Now she was on the outs with Scott and it actually hurt like a bitch. It was as if she could feel what he was feeling. It had always been like that for them. She hated this. She hated that Scott was pissed at her. She hated that she was pissed at Scott. It was all a shamble. Her telling Scott shouldn't have gone like that and she wished she could start again. Maybe if she would have said it nicer or explained it properly instead of letting all of her words be harsh and careless then Scott wouldn't have been as angry. Well, scratch that. Of course he would've been just as angry but they could've at least talked about it like civilised people rather than intentionally trying to hurt each other with their words. Scarlett had to admit to herself that it wasn't fair of her to come out with it like that but it also wasn't fair of Scott to tell her that Derek didn't care about her. That was complete bullshit. She had been right when she said Scott didn't know Derek because he didn't. He knew the side of Derek that was hostile and cocky and intimidating but he had never met the side of Derek that actually cared and if he had then it was guaranteed his reaction would've been so much different.

Eventually, Scarlett stood up shakily and regained her composure by straightening out her outfit and wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to cry over her fight with Scott. They had fights all the time and she didn't cry about them but this one seemed to be different. Scott seemed to feel betrayed and the fact that she was the one who had unintentionally betrayed him killed her inside. She knew that they weren't going to rebound from the fight as quickly as she would've liked.

Taking out her phone, Scarlett pondered who to call for a second or two before realising exactly who she needed. Despite her longing to be back in Derek's arms at the moment, she didn't feel it was right to go to him. As amazing as he was, she seriously doubted that he would understand completely and that was fine but she needed someone else. Someone, who had been through times like this with her for longer than she could remember, someone who knew exactly how to make her feel better. And of course, that someone was her best friend. The girl that she needed more than anything right now. The girl who had seen her cry countless times before…she needed Lydia.

"_Hello?_" Lydia picked up on the third ring, her voice sounding casual and unamused like always.

"Hey Lyds," Lydia immediately picked up on the saddened tone of Scarlett's voice.

"_Scar, what is it?_" She asked quickly.

"Um, I kind of need a ride…I'm at the ice rink." Scarlett said quietly.

"_I'll be there in a few._" Lydia told her without question before hanging up. She may be self-absorbed a lot of the time but Lydia really always did pull through when it was a best friend emergency.

Scarlett put her phone away and made her way out of the ice rink, waiting outside for a little while before Lydia pulled up in front of her.


	15. Chapter 15: The Knife Twists

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

* * *

**A/N: Ah! Okay, so it feels like forever since I updated and I am very sorry for that but my school show performances were this week and it was all very time consuming plus with new seasons of all my shows starting up I have been very distracted haha...anyway, I know that a lot of you guys want Scarlett to become supernatural and without giving anything away, I'm going to just say that I have things planned for the future...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Here you go." Lydia said, handing Scarlett a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

"I asked for tea…"

"Hot chocolate's better for these kinds of moods." Lydia told her, shuffling over to the DVD player in her big fluffy slippers and putting in _The Notebook_.

"You finally got it?" Scarlett asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. It didn't really bother Scarlett that she never seemed to stop watching the movie because, after all, it was one of her favourites.

"Yup. No more video stores for me." Lydia said before walking back to the bed and crawling underneath the covers with Scarlett. Lydia had taken Scarlett back to hers, where she insisted she stay the night. Scarlett had tried to explain everything but Lydia wouldn't listen until Scarlett had showered and changed into a pair of Lydia's comfiest pyjamas. And so there they were, _The Notebook_ playing in the background while Lydia and Scarlett turned to face each other so that Scarlett could finally start to explain.

"Okay, I think I better start off by telling you who the guy is." Scarlett said, finally giving in to Lydia's constant asking.

"Finally." Lydia groaned.

"Don't freak out okay?" Scarlett said cautiously, not having a clue how Lydia would react to her secret. Lydia rolled her eyes but nodded. "It's um, it's Derek Hale." Lydia's eyes widened and she gave Scarlett

"What? Are you crazy?! He tried to kill us! And his creepy ass uncle _attacked_ me!" Lydia exclaimed frantically, not taking the news very well.

"Okay, first of all, he did _not_ try to kill you that night in the school. Two, I know. But he's nothing like Peter! And just- Lydia, I really, really like him. Can you please just accept that?" Scarlett asked pleadingly. Lydia's shoulders slumped and she gave Scarlett a sympathetic look.

"I guess. But only because you had a rough night." She said finally, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Thank you. Now, let me explain what happened…"

When Scarlett had finished explaining everything, excluding all of the supernatural details, Lydia gave her a look. "So, you told your Scott that you fucked Derek? Using those exact words?" Lydia questioned with a raised brow. Scarlett gave a small nod in answer. "Well that wasn't very smart of you."

"Yeah, no kidding." Scarlett sighed. "Scott's probably not even going to talk to me anymore."

"Who cares?"

"I care." Scarlett countered.

"Of course you do, he's your brother, but Scar, you're in love with Derek and, I mean who cares what Scott thinks if he's standing in the way of love right? He'll get over it eventually but for right now just say screw him." Lydia explained to her, sounding so carefree and sure of herself. Scarlett wondered how she was able to do that. Despite what she was currently going through.

"Wait, I'm not in love with Derek." Scarlett shook her head as if the idea was completely absurd after finally realising that Lydia had told her she was.

"Oh come on." Lydia gave her an incredulous look.

"I'm not! At least, I mean…well, I don't- I don't think I am." Scarlett muttered quietly, unsure of herself. The truth was, she knew somewhere in the back of her mind she _was_ desperately in love with him. But she wouldn't completely admit it to herself. Doing that would change everything. Not even telling him but just_ knowing_ that she did…it wasn't the time for that.

"Mhmm…" Lydia turned her attention back to the TV.

"Well then let's talk about how you're in love with Jackson." If Lydia was going to say that Scarlett was in love with Derek then she had every right to accuse her of being in love with Jackson.

Lydia tensed up ever so slightly but tried to keep her face neutral. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Look Lyds, I know he hurt you but it's clear as day that you aren't over him and you can admit that to me. I'm not going to judge you for having feelings." Scarlett said with a slight laugh.

Lydia sighed and glanced at her sidelong, the look of disappointment clear in her eyes. "He hates me."

Scarlett shook her head. "No…actually, I think it might be the complete opposite." Lydia looked at her again but didn't say anything. "Thank you. For everything."

"You would've done the same for me. Now, be quiet and watch Ryan being sexy."

* * *

Scarlett woke with a start, sitting up and looking around. She quickly remembered that she was in Lydia's room. Beside her, Lydia was completely under the covers so that Scarlett couldn't see any of her. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of Lydia's chest as she breathed, Scarlett might have thought she was gone.

Scarlett sighed and peeled the covers off of her and got out of the bed as quietly as possible, walking over to her bag and checking her phone. It was 5:15 which meant that she would have time to walk home, get ready for school and maybe go and see Derek and talk to him about everything. She pulled back the curtain slightly and saw that it was still dark but the sun was quickly rising. Scarlett quickly got dressed into her clothes from last night and then went about finding a pen and some paper. When she did, she wrote a short note to Lydia saying thanks and that she'd see her at school. She left it on the pillow and grabbed her bag, quietly creeping out of Lydia's room and down to the foyer. Using the keys that were left on the table, she unlocked the door, cheering internally when the door didn't make a sound upon her opening it.

She set her pace at a fast-walk down the sidewalk to her home. It wasn't that far away but Scarlett just wanted to get there quickly because she was semi-afraid of being out there all alone. There weren't a lot of cars on the road, just the occasional few that passed by her but all in all it seemed as if the town was dead and she was the only one there. Apart from the distant hoot of an owl and a few chirps from some birds in the trees that lined the road, the only sound she could hear was soft footfalls against the pavement as she walked and that wasn't much comfort. Quite a few times she had to look behind her and make sure no one was watching her. She knew it was silly but one could never be too careful.

Turning onto her own street, Scarlett sighed with relief. She could see her house already. There were no lights on or anything but at least she knew her family were home. Her mom didn't have work until later and then…Scott, well, she could only guess that he was home. Thinking about Scott dimmed her mood immediately, not that she was feeling very joyful in the first place. As Scarlett approached the house she wondered what she was going to say to Scott when she saw him. That was, if he would even let her talk to him. She figured that he must be hurt by what she said as well, that it couldn't just be a one-sided pain. It was most definitely wrong of her to say what she did but he couldn't hate her forever…could he?

She quietly unlocked the door and stepped inside the house, locking the door again once she had closed it. It was quiet, which was normal considering no one in the house ever really got up until around 7. She walked up the stairs, cringing when some of them creaked. Once in her room she set her bag down and went straight to the bathroom. She waited for the stream of water coming from the showerhead to turn almost scalding before she stripped off and stepped in. The water burned slightly but she didn't care. In fact, she revelled in it. Letting the cascading water warm her skin and wash away her stress. She took her time washing her hair and body, pushing the aggravating thoughts that plagued her to the back of her mind. She leaned her head against the cool tile of the shower and stood there for a minute, eyes closed, just breathing.

When Scarlett was out she brushed her teeth, dried off and went back to her room to pick out what she was going to wear. Once she was fully dressed she looked in the mirror, ruffling her now-dry hair and deeming herself cute enough. She grabbed her bag and made for the door. As she was about to descend the stairs she looked back at Scott's door and bit her lip, pondering whether or not it would be a good idea to talk to him. Gathering up all of her courage she started walking towards his room, knocking on his door and taking a deep breath while she waited for him to open it. When he did, he looked at her and his face fell. The hurt of seeing her was swimming in his eyes, along with the disappointment he now held for her. She went to say something but he closed the door on her face, shocking her more than it should have. Scarlett looked down and nodded to herself. She should've expected as much.

"I'm taking the car." She said quietly, knowing he would still here it. There was no reply so she sighed and made her way down the stairs where she saw her mom standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee.

"Hey sweetheart." Melissa greeted with a smile. Scarlett gave her a small smile of her own, one that didn't by any means reach her eyes.

"Morning mom." She greeted her, pouring herself some coffee as well.

"How was Lydia's?" Melissa asked causally.

"Oh, um…good. We talked, watched movies…talked more." Scarlett laughed slightly. Melissa smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

"How's she doing with everything?" Melissa moved to lean on the counter.

Scarlett let out a breath. "Better." She told her, taking another sip of the coffee that needed more sugar. "I think her mom wants her to go to counselling though."

Melissa nodded. "I can imagine. I'd make you go."

"Really?" Scarlett asked with a raised brow.

"Of course." Melissa answered simply. "Did you want any breakfast?" She asked when she saw Scarlett putting her empty mug down.

"Not really hungry, I think I'm just going to head out…drive around for a bit, prepare myself for the day mentally and all that jazz."

"Alright sweetie, well, I have the night shift. But, you already knew that…" Melissa added on as an afterthought. Scarlett gave another small smile and nodded. "Never mind, just…have a good day." She placed a kiss on Scarlett's head and headed upstairs.

"Bye mom." Scarlett called when she had walked to the door. She got outside and got in the car, sitting at the wheel and staring out the windshield for a few minutes, trying to figure out where Derek would be. Then she remembered he'd said he was hiding out at the abandoned subway station so she headed over that way.

* * *

Scarlett sat outside of the subway station, looking at it from her car. _God_, it was creepy. Pushing the thoughts away, she stepped out of the car and made her way toward the entrance leading downwards.

"Derek?" Scarlett called out, walking down the steel steps.

"Scarlett?" She looked over the railing to see Isaac looking up at her.

"Yeah…" She replied slowly, walking down the last few steps and stepping into the open space in front of an old subway car.

"What are you doing here?" Isaac asked, leaning against a pillar.

"Um…I'm actually looking for Derek. Is he here?" Scarlett asked cautiously, looking around and playing with the strap of her bag.

"He's in there." Isaac told her, nodding towards the subway car. Scarlett gave him a small smile and started towards the car before Isaac's hand shot out and stopped her. "Hey about last night…I'm sorry."

Scarlett gave him a look of confusion. "For what? You didn't attack me, you attacked Scott." She said, gently shrugging off his hand.

"Yeah, but he's your brother so…"

"So you expect me to be mad?"

"Aren't you?" He asked, seemingly puzzled by her question.

"Well, yeah, a bit, but he healed." She shrugged, readjusting her bag on her shoulder. Isaac looked thoughtful for a minute, wondering whether or not he should just go for it and ask her or completely leave it. In the end he decided to give it a shot.

"So…I was wondering, if maybe-"

"Scarlett." They both looked up to see Derek. Scarlett looked back at Isaac and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Can it wait until later?" She asked hopefully. It's not that she didn't want to talk to Isaac but she really needed to talk with Derek more than anything else.

Isaac nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah…sure." He said, playing it off as no big deal. Scarlett smiled and turned to Derek, inhaling and then exhaling.

"Can we talk?" She asked quietly.

"I don't think now's the best time." He answered, looking up at the stairs where Erica and Boyd where walking in.

"Right. Later then?" Scarlett asked, looking at the two betas and then looking back at Derek.

"Sure." He said, giving her a half smile.

"Oh…I thought I smelled cheer spirit." Erica drawled as she walked off the last step. Scarlett ran her tongue over the front of her teeth, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed. She clenched her fists and fought the urge to tackle Erica to the ground, knowing that the decision would most likely end with Scarlett being injured.

"Shut up. We don't have time for you to be petty." Derek snapped at her, noticing how agitated Scarlett was by what Erica had said. Erica pouted but remained quiet anyway. "We're training the same way as yesterday. Boyd, you watch. Scarlett, stand out of the way. Isaac, you're up first."

Scarlett did as she was told and walked to the stairs, leaning on the railing while Boyd sat on the steps. She watched as Isaac began at the opposite end of the room and ran at Derek, doing numerous flips over different objects across the space. He jumped on the side of the subway car next to Derek and then attempted to jump on him but Derek's reflexes were a lot faster and he slammed Isaac into the ground resulting in a sickening crack that made Scarlett cringe. Derek made Isaac start again, and again he got slammed to the ground. Scarlett noticed that each time he did the course; he would do the same exact thing making it easy for Derek to take him down because he knew exactly what his final move was going to be. If it were Scarlett, she would try multiple different approaches, changing it up each time so that Derek wouldn't know when she was going to strike and then she would have a chance at getting the upper-hand. After Isaac failed yet again, Erica appeared on top of the subway car and jumped towards Derek but he saw her in time and threw her to the ground next to Isaac making Scarlett smirk.

"Does anyone wanna try not being completely predictable?" Derek asked, walking away and when he turned around Erica jumped up on him and began making out with him furiously. Scarlett's blood started to boil and her jealousy started to take over even when she saw Derek not returning the kiss in any way. The sight made her want to be sick. That's exactly what she feared was going to happen, maybe even worse, and now she was witnessing it first-hand. Eventually, Derek threw Erica off and she landed on her back. "That's the last time you do that." He said, wiping his lip and eyeing Scarlett who was still seething with rage. She met his eyes and she glared daggers at him despite the fact that it wasn't his fault.

"Why? Cause I'm a beta?" Erica asked, sass lacing her voice.

"Or maybe it's because not everybody wants your hands all over them all the time…" Scarlett suggested bitchily, glaring at Erica as she stood up to face her. Erica gave a humourless laugh as she walked towards Scarlett while everyone else watched.

"You know…I didn't really talk a lot before I turned. Which meant, I heard everything." Scarlett raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell that had to do with anything. "I don't think you realise just how many times I would overhear a group of boys from the lacrosse team expressing how much they wanted to _bang_ you up against the lockers!" Scarlett jumped slightly as Erica emphasised the word 'bang'. "It's funny how some girls can get all the attention and others… get treated like they're non-existent."

"Erica." Derek warned. Both girls ignored him and Scarlett stood up a little bit taller, taking a step towards Erica.

"The majority of the boys on the lacrosse team are airheads that are only interested in one thing. The things they say aren't worth my time and if they're your goal then you have horrendously low standards." Scarlett said lowly, narrowing her eyes causing Erica to gain an offended look on her face, but Scarlett didn't stop there. "But, by all means, take your pick of them because I couldn't care less just as long as you keep your filthy paws the hell off of my boyfriend." She growled in her face.

"Boyfriend?" Erica and Isaac asked at the same time. Erica's face showed pure confusion whereas Isaac's held a mix of confusion and disappointment. When Scarlett realised what she had said she thought that she should be more regretful but the feeling of the weight lifting off of her chest was so much more powerful. She nodded slightly and walked around Erica, whose eyes followed her as she walked straight to Derek, grabbed him by the back of the neck and kissed him with everything she had. He returned the kiss, pulling her closer to him by wrapping his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck.

"Boyfriend." She concluded once she had pulled back, eyes filled with happiness as she looked at Derek. That was it. She had established what he was to her. They were together and people would know. And the best part was that she didn't care; she figured that Scott knew anyway and he was the biggest obstacle in why they were keeping their relationship secret so…what the hell? Derek's eyes mirrored Scarlett's but instead of saying anything he just kissed her again.

"What the hell?" Erica said, making them pull apart again.

"So…now that you two are all happy, are we done?" Isaac asked, masking his bummed-out mood. "Cause I have about a hundred bones that need a few hours to heal." He groaned.

Derek gave a mock-sympathetic look, taking his arm from around Scarlett's waist and leaving her to walk over to Isaac and crouch down next him. He took Isaac's arm and pretended to examine it. "Here?"

"Uh-huh." Derek then bent Isaac's arm backwards, breaking another bone and making him cry out in pain. Scarlett cringed and she immediately felt horrible.

"Hundred and one. You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? Look at me!" Derek shouted at Isaac. The other three faces around the room were very solemn yet frightened. Derek really did have a temper. "I'm teaching you how to survive!" He got up and walked away slightly.

"If they wanted us dead then why aren't they coming for us now? What are they waiting for?" Isaac panted, obviously still in pain.

"I don't know. But they're planning something and _you _especially know that's not our only problem. Whatever that thing is that killed Isaac's father, I think it killed someone else last night. And until I find out what it is, you three need to learn everything that I know…as fast as I can teach you." Derek said, grabbing Scarlett's hand and leading her into the subway car.

As soon as they were inside, Derek had her pinned up against the side crushing their lips together hotly. In a way, this was him relieving stress. Instead of going on a violent rampage he was ravishing Scarlett with kisses. Albeit, he was being a little rough but she wasn't complaining. In fact, she was enjoying it and being rough back by nipping his lip with her teeth and clawing at his arms. She ignored the fact that Erica had kissed him only minutes before but subconsciously she was making sure her kisses were much better. He threaded his hands through her hair and yanked it so that he had better access to her neck. She gave a light moan as he began working at her neck, doing everything she loved.

"We need to talk…" Her sentence trailed off and she gave a yelp and then another moan as he nipped at the sensitive spot on her neck. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.

"Then talk." He said simply before going back to work on her neck. Scarlett rolled her eyes but began talking anyway.

"Scott knows…about us." She told him wearily, not too keen on breaking the mood.

"Never mind. Don't talk. We can talk about that later but right now…" He said quietly as he moved his hands up her thighs and into the skirt of her dress. He was right, talking about the whole Scott situation right now would just be awkward so Scarlett pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and let the sensational feeling of Derek's hands on her skin take over. He looked up at her with a smirk as his fingers hooked in the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down her legs so that she could step out of them. Once they were completely off, he stood back up and moved his hands up her body, over her dress, to her breasts. He kissed the tops of them as he squeezed roughly, eliciting a low moan from her. Kissing his way back up her neck and across her jaw, he eventually returned to her lips and they made out fervently. While they kissed, she managed to unzip his jeans and take him out before he picked her up so that she could hook her legs tightly around his waist and then bunched her skirt up around her hips and immediately thrust into her, making her gasp into his mouth. Scarlett screwed her eyes shut, locking her hands into his hair while she allowed the pleasure to take her over. They kept kissing, not allowing the moans to escape either of them. Her eyes opened again when he grabbed the back of her neck and ran his thumb along her jaw as his mouth latched onto her neck again, sucking harshly at the soft skin.

As it turns out, Scarlett didn't actually mind fucking up against a wall as much as she assumed she would. She actually revelled in the feeling. It was different from the other times they had had sex. It was rougher and seemed more casual but not careless. It still held all the loving emotions they had for each other, it was just both of their more primal instincts taking over.

"Derek…" Scarlett whimpered as she grew close to the edge. He growled possessively in her ear, speeding up his pace making her bite his shoulder as to not start moaning uncontrollably. She didn't stay like that for long because Derek urged her back up so that he could look at her. There was so much raw and fiery passion in her eyes as he looked into them. She looked so beautiful; hair a wild mane around her, lips swollen, repeating his name like a prayer. He leaned in towards her and captured her lips with his and the fire that came with the kiss was enough to throw her over the edge completely. Her body shook with delight as the orgasm washed over her. His followed shortly after and when they were both spent they looked into each other's eyes, both of them realising that that had been there first time having sex as an official couple. They remained silent and kissed again soundly before Derek pulled out of her and set her down. She wobbled a bit, holding onto his shoulder for support.

"You okay?" He asked cautiously, searching her face for any signs of pain.

Scarlett laughed it off. "Yeah, no, I'm fine." Admittedly it had hurt her. More than usual but she didn't want to tell him that and she didn't really care either because that was definitely worth the pain. She decided to steer the conversation in another direction as she found her panties and began putting them back on. "So, you said you think that thing killed again?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was the local mechanic." Derek told her, zipping up his jeans.

"Oh, what a shame." She said sympathetically. They really needed to find out what's doing this and- "Did you say the mechanic?" Her head snapped towards him. He looked at her and nodded. Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Then he seemed to connect the dots as well and he gave her a look. "Scar…"

"I have to go." She said quickly, heading out of the subway car. Isaac, Erica and Boyd were all gone, probably all away to school. Oh shit. She had completely forgotten about school.

"Scarlett, would you wait a second." Derek called after her as he followed her out. Once she had picked up her forgotten bag she turned and gave him an apologetic smile.

"I really have to go." She apologised sincerely. He gave her another look that made her feel slightly bad for rushing out so she quickly threw her arms around his neck and kissed him shortly. "I-" She stopped herself from saying the words that were about to tumble out of her mouth. She ignored the butterflies that she got from even thinking about saying it. "I'll see you later." Removing her arms from his neck she rushed away from him and up the stairs.

Derek stood, watching her as she went, stumped again by the whirlwind that was Scarlett McCall. He knew what she had stopped herself from saying. And part of him was glad she hadn't said it and part of him silently wished she had. He knew how he felt about her. And he knew how she felt about him. How much they both needed each other in their lives and yet…if they started admitting that one thing that was always there in the back of their minds, they would have a dangerous storm on their hands that neither one of them was prepared for.

* * *

Scarlett knocked on the door furiously, looking around again as she waited anxiously. Finally, the door opened.

"Mary!" Scarlett cried as she flung herself at the girl who was already in tears. "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" She said, hugging Mary tightly as Mary began sobbing even harder. When Scarlett finally let go, Mary looked up with puffy, red-rimmed eyes.

"Come on in." She said, wiping at her eyes and gesturing into the house. Scarlett gave her a sympathetic look, school could wait she thought as she walked in. "Coffee?" Mary asked as she shuffled into the kitchen.

"Um, yeah sure." Scarlett answered, looking around the living room to see a few members of Mary's family and some of her friends.

"I'll get it Mary, you sit down." Mary's sister said as she escorted Mary back to the couch.

"My, my. Scarlett, look how you've grown honey. You're even more beautiful than when I last saw you." Mary's mother, Carrie, said as she stood up to greet Scarlett with a hug.

"It's good to see you Mrs Sullivan." Scarlett told her with a twinge of sadness to her tone.

"You too sweetie. I just wish it was for a happier occasion." Scarlett nodded and took a seat across from Mary and her mother. When Mary's sister returned with the coffee, Scarlett took it gratefully.

"Do they-" Scarlett swallowed. "Do they know what happened to him?"

"They're not sure exactly-"

"He was crushed by a jeep." Mary said heartbrokenly, interrupting her mother. It was strange seeing Mary like that. Scarlett had only ever seen her happy and full of love and smiles and now…now she just looked so tired. Like she hadn't slept at all. And how could anyone blame her? Her fiancée had just died, well he'd actually been murdered but not many people knew that. Tucker had been the love of Mary's life. He had been the one for her and they were so in love. Mary was always telling Scarlett about how as soon as they were married they were going to start trying for kids and then they would settle down and raise their family together. Mary had always beamed at the thought of becoming a mom, said she couldn't wait for the day. The day when she and Tucker would become parents and watch their children grow up as they grew old and now, that was all just a fantasy. Scarlett thought about losing Derek and she shivered, getting a sickly feeling within her. Pushing the morbid thoughts away quickly she turned to Mary.

"I can't even imagine what you must be going through Mary, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what." Scarlett offered her a smile and Mary nodded and attempted a smile that looked more like a wince.

"Thank you Scar, it means a lot. And so does all of you being here," Mary said to the rest of the small group of people. "Tucker would've loved the attention." She laughed to herself. "He wouldn't have loved to see me such a wreck though."

Scarlett closed her eyes and took another sip of the coffee as her heart broke a little more for Mary.

* * *

"Stiles!" Scarlett exclaimed when he accidently ran into her as she was turning a corner in the hall.

"Scarlett…" He trailed off, seeming to remember something. "I uh, I actually have…something I need to do…" He tried to walk away but Scarlett caught his arm and pulled him back.

"He told you." It wasn't a question, more like statement.

Stile sighed and nodded. "Of course he told me."

"And, are you mad at me?"

"Not as mad as he is." He admitted.

Scarlett frowned and started biting the nail of her thumb out of bad habit. "It's not- it's not that bad right? I mean, he'll forgive me…won't he?"

Stiles looked at her with raised brows. "Wh- uh, Scarlett, you screwed Derek. _Derek._ Derek Ha-"

"Yeah, I know who he is." Scarlett snapped, wanting him to just tell her already instead of going on and on about how her and Derek were a bad idea.

"And then you told Scott about it…" Stiles said obviously. "Explicitly!" He added on.

"So what do you think he's most mad about? The actual deed, or me telling him about it?"

"My guess is both with equal measure…well, maybe the whole doing part of it a little bit more. That was just- uh, Derek? Really?" Stiles asked with shiver.

Scarlett couldn't help but smirk. "Really." She told him, remembering that she and Derek were an official thing now before walking away to leave him to get back to…whatever it was that had him running about the school.

* * *

The crowd cringed collectively as the beast from the other team knocked down yet another one of Beacon's lacrosse players. The cheerleader's booed again. It wasn't looking good for their team. Not with…whoever the hell that guy was, taking out all of their players.

"Come on! Is that thing even a teenager?! I wanna see a birth certificate!" Coach shouted in anger and frustration.

Scarlett bit her lip as she watched more and more players get knocked down, some of them looking like they might have serious injuries. She wished that Scott could do something but of course, at the same time, she didn't want to risk him showing unnatural displays of strength with Gerard Argent watching the game. That would not end well.

"We're still short one player, Coach!" Someone shouted, making Coach Finstock curse.

"Where's Stilinksi? Where's Stilinksi?!" He shouted. Scarlett looked around and when she noticed Stiles missing from the bench she figured he must be up to something. He was always up to something. And just because she wasn't on speaking terms with Scott didn't mean that she had to be kept out of the loop.

"I'll be right back." Scarlett whispered to Taylor, handing over her pompoms.

"Where are you going?" Taylor hissed. "If Brooke sees you're gone then you're dead." Scarlett looked over to see Brooke was flirting with some random guy.

"I don't think she'll notice. Besides, I won't be gone that long anyway." She said, walking off and away from the field, up to the school where she assumed Stiles had gone.

When she was inside the school she kept looking around but didn't see any sign of him. "Stiles!" She called out.

"Scar?" She heard him ask.

"Yeah!" She called again, not really sure where his voice had come from.

"In here- ah, ah…" She sped up her pace when she heard him let out a pain-filled noise.

"Stiles?!" Nearing the Principal's Office, she found the door open and the keys in it but there was no Stiles. She followed the slight sounds of his pain, and the sound of heels clicking against the floor and she ended up going to the pool. "Stiles?" She asked, rounding the corner. She saw him standing there, facing Derek and Erica. Well, that explains the heels. Stiles turned and gave her a worried look. "What the hell?"

Scarlett walked forward to stand next to Stiles, with a confused expression. "Ask your boyfriend." Stiles said, jerking his head towards Derek.

Derek looked at both of them before settling his intimidating gaze on Stiles. "Stiles…What did you see at the mechanics garage?" Scarlett's eyes snapped to Stiles. Had he been there when Tucker was killed?

"Uh, several alarming EPA violations that I'm seriously considering reporting." Stiles said.

"Wait, you were there?" Scarlett asked.

"Wish I wasn't." He muttered before looking back at Derek and Erica who had started laughing humourlessly. Derek looked at the basketball he had in his hands and then made it deflate by using his claws. "Holy God…" Derek let the crumpled ball fall to the ground.

"Let's try that again." He said. And all the while, Scarlett and Erica had been glaring at each other like they were ready to tackle the other to the ground at any moment.

"I wanna know it was." Scarlett said, directing her statement at Stiles even though she hadn't taken her eyes away from the smirking blonde.

"Alright, the thing was pretty slick looking. Um, skin was dark…kinda patterned, uh, I think I actually saw scales. Is that enough?" Stiles asked. When Derek just continued to look at him Scarlett sighed.

"Just, tell them more Stiles so we can get out of here before I get kicked off the squad." She said, looking around anxiously now that Erica had turned her stare to Stiles.

"Okay, fine. Eyes, eyes are…yellowish. It has a lot of teeth," Scarlett watched as Derek and Erica's eyes turned upwards and she narrowed her eyes. "Oh and it has a tail too. Are we good? What? Wait, have you seen it? Because you have this look like you know exactly what I'm talking about." There was a hiss behind them and Scarlett slowly turned around and looked up.

"What…the hell is that?" She asked slowly. The reptilian looking monster let out a loud shriek making Scarlett and Stiles jump backwards.

Derek quickly pulled Scarlett's arm so that she was close to him and when the thing jumped down he shoved her behind him as he growled at it. The thing took out Erica first, throwing her against the wall so that she fell unconscious. Derek turned and pushed Scarlett towards Stiles. "Run!" The thing took a swing at the back of his neck and cut it quickly.

"Derek!" Scarlett shrieked.

"Your neck…" Stiles explained. Derek gave them both a confused look, feeling for the back of his neck where the creature had made an almost perfect incision. He started to fall so Stiles quickly grabbed him, making sure he didn't hit the ground. They started running; well Stiles did as best he could while trying to hold up Derek who couldn't move. Scarlett quickly followed behind them but the thing's tail swished out, hitting the back of her legs with a tremendous force making her fall.

"Shit." She swore as she hit the ground. She'd cut her hands bracing herself and she'd also hurt her ankle a little more, making her wince. This was just not her week.

"Scarlett?" Both Stiles and Derek called out at the same time.

"I'm good." She assured them, getting up and leaving small smears of blood on the floor.

"N-Stiles!" Scarlett's head snapped towards Derek as he fell into the pool. She gasped and then watched as Stiles jumped in after him, bringing him back up. Scarlett let out a breath of relief and silently thanked Stiles.

"Scarlett! My phone, get my phone!" Stiles told her from the pool. She nodded and made for Stiles' phone where he had dropped it but the reptilian creature, whatever it was, appeared in front of her hissing horribly in her face making her let out a scream.

"Scarlett!" Derek shouted, his voice full of worry. Stuck in a pool, paralyzed, he was pretty much useless and all he could do was rely on Stiles to keep him from drowning and watch Scarlett back away from the thing as it advanced towards her.

Scarlett slowly walked backwards, keeping her eyes locked on the creature. When she was almost at the wall and away from the pool it turned and went towards the water again. She corked a brow at it as it hissed and jerked away from the water when it touched it.

"I don't think it can swim." Stiles concluded. The thing made for Scarlett again and when she was completely flat against the wall it just stared at her. It went extremely close to her face and she turned her head, letting out a small whimper, sure that she was about to die. She looked back again and it had backed up slightly, eyes curious. It was almost as if it _knew_ her somehow and that freaked her out beyond belief. "The pool Scarlett! Jump in the pool!" She heard Stiles yell at her.

"I can't! And I can't get this uniform wet!" She yelled back, keeping herself pressed against the wall as the scaly, green creature kept staring at her.

"Scarlett!" Derek shouted this time. "Your uniform won't matter if you're dead! Now jump into the pool!"

The creature looked back towards the two in the pool and shrieked at them. Scarlett sucked in a sharp breath, taking this as her only opportunity...when the thing turned back to her she lifted her leg and kicked it in the side of the head as hard as she could, throwing it off for a second and giving her just enough time to run for the pool and dive gracefully into it, swimming towards Derek and Stiles.

"Nice kick." Stiles complimented.

"Thank you." She in an out of breath reply. Her heart was still pounding despite the fact that for all intents and purposes, they were safe.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked, checking her over with his eyes.

"Yeah, just a few cuts and a month's worth of nightmares to look forward too." Scarlett let out a weak laugh.

"Okay, I don't think I can do this much longer." Stiles said, his mouth going under the water slightly. His eyes moved to his phone that was still sitting at the edge of the pool.

"No, Stiles. Don't even think about it!" Derek warned him.

"Could you just trust me this once."

"No!"

"I'm the one keeping you alive." Stiles countered. "Have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, and when the paralysis wears off, who's gonna be able to fight that thing you or me?" Derek asked. Scarlett watched the both of them bickering back and forth and she raised a brow, apparently they'd just forgotten about her existence.

"Oh yeah and that's why I've been holding you up all this time?"

"You don't trust me…I don't trust you." Derek told Stiles. "And you need me to survive which is why you're not letting me go."

"Um, guys?" Scarlett asked, her voice sounding a little further away.

"What?" They both looked to where she had previously been but instead she was already at the edge of the pool, holding up Stiles' phone and quickly swimming away from the scaly creature as it continued to prowl near the edge after attempting to claw her.

"Here." Scarlett said, handing the phone to Stiles as he let go of Derek so that Scarlett could take his place in holding him up. Stiles dialled Scott's number and they all waited for him to answer.

"Well, this is definitely not how I imagined us being in a pool together…" Scarlett thought. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She blushed furiously at her own stupidity.

"Yeah." Derek told her. There was a slight pause between them as Stiles started talking to Scott. "It's not how I imagined it either." Scarlett looked at Derek and grinned, biting her lip.

"Well, that was a bust." Stiles said, throwing his phone away in the water and helping Scarlett with Derek again. After a while longer the both of them started struggling to stay above water. "I can't stay up any longer; I need something to hold on to."

Scarlett and Stiles both looked at the diving bored that had handles on it and they began swimming towards it, pulling Derek along with them. Stiles made a grab for it but couldn't reach it and then suddenly all three of them were yanked out of the water one at a time and were thrown onto the floor.

Scarlett lay flat on the tiles taking heavy breaths as she heard Scott let out a roar. The creature appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground, throwing him into a mirror. When she had gathered the strength to move again, Scarlett crawled over to Derek who was trying to sit up by this point. She helped him move so that he was leaning on the diving board as the two of them watched Scott and the creature circle each other. Scott held up a shard of the mirror to it and it just stared into its own reflection until it hissed and jumped away up to the roof and swung out of the glass at the top. Derek and Scarlett shared a look before they both looked at Scott with confused expressions.

"We need to get the USB drive from Gerard's keys." Scott said standing up and walking over to help Stiles. Scarlett quickly got to her feet as well and tried to reach for Scott.

"Scott-" Her voice was broken and she looked down as he ignored her and walked away with Stiles. Well, at least he didn't let her drown…that was a good thing.

"He'll forgive you eventually." Derek told her quietly once he was standing up. She nodded but she wasn't convinced herself. He sighed and tilted her chin upwards so that she was looking at him. "He will." He bent down to kiss her chastely. His hands moved to the sides of her face as the kiss became fiercer. She put her hands on his wrists and slowly pulled away, looking up at him. The drops of water on her lashes somehow made her eyes look like they were shining brighter than usual. She smiled slightly and took her hands away, examining her palms. There were only a few cuts on them but they still stung. When Derek noticed he took her hands and looked at the cuts before softly pressing his lips to each palm. His caring side was showing again and it filled Scarlett with so much warmth to know that he was only like that with her. He pulled her in for a hug and she clung to him tightly, ignoring the uncomfortableness of their wet clothing against one another. He kissed her forehead before the two of them started walking towards Erica who was slowly sitting up, rubbing her head. Scarlett stood back a bit as she watched Derek help her up.

"Where is it?" Erica asked, seeming to still be a little out of it.

"Gone. Let's go." Derek said walking back to Scarlett and falling into step with her as they headed outside. They walked towards Scott and Stiles who were looking at Scott's laptop.

"How are we supposed to find out what this thing is?" Scott asked in frustration.

"It's called a kanima." Derek said, causing Scarlett to look at him strangely. How the hell did he know?

"You knew the whole time." Stiles said with a sigh.

Derek shook his head. "No. I only realised when it was confused by its own reflection."

"It doesn't know what it is." Scott realised, not failing to notice how close his sister and Derek were. He ignored it the best he could and stopped his anger from taking over him.

"Or who."

"What else do you know?" Stiles asked.

"Just stories…rumours." Derek said.

"So…is it like you guys then?" Scarlett asked, trying to connect some of the dots.

"A shape shifter, yes, but it's- it's not right." Derek answered, glancing at her before looking back at Scott and Stiles. "It's like a…"

"An abomination." Stiles filled in. Derek nodded to him but didn't say anything; instead he and Erica turned and started to walk away.

"Derek!" Scott called him back. "We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argent's."

"You trust them?" Derek asked, incredulous.

"Nobody. Trusts. Anyone." Scott's eyes flickered to Scarlett for a second as he said that and she looked away, not liking what he was implying. "That's the problem! While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there is something stronger and faster than any of us running around and it's killing people. And we still don't know anything about it!"

"I know one thing." Derek said, beginning to turn around. "When I find it…I'm gonna kill it."

When he and Erica were gone, Scarlett turned back to Scott and Stiles. "Do you want me to ride in the back?"

"Whatever." Scott muttered, shaking his head.

Stiles raised his eyebrows, sensing the awkwardness. "Okay then…I'll see you guys later." He said, walking off to his jeep while Scarlett got in the back of the car and Scott got into the front, driving off towards the hospital so that they could pick up Melissa.

"Scott, I really think we should talk about this." Scarlett said from the backseat. Despite the fact that she wasn't the only one who said some harsh things, she was still willing to be the bigger person and work things out with Scott. She didn't want to be on bad terms with him, especially not now but she also didn't want to have to give up Derek to be on good terms with him.

"There's nothing to talk about. What's done is done." Scott told her blankly.

Scarlett shook her head. "If you really believe that then why are you so mad at me?"

"Because, Scarlett. You made a choice. A very stupid choice and I-I don't know how to forgive you for that. He's not a good person and you just willingly hopped into bed with him like it was nothing."

"That's not true Scott. It wasn't nothing. It was something. To me and to him. And, you know what? You should be able to understand this! You say that we shouldn't be together but never once have I said to you that you shouldn't be with Allison. Even though I'm scared as hell that everyday might be the day that you and her slip up and her family catches you, strings you up and cuts you in half! Why is Derek and I being together such a bad thing when the girl you're in love with comes from a whole freaking family of werewolf hunters that are out to get your ass? How is my relationship dangerous in any way compared to yours?"

"Because you're my little sister!" Scott exclaimed. "I'm supposed to protect you and letting you be with- with Derek? That isn't protecting you. That's putting your life in danger! All he cares about is power. Getting what he wants, making his pack and taking out enemies! He doesn't care about anything else! Not about you, not about anything!"

Scarlett sighed and looked out the window, not letting Scott's words affect her. He couldn't change the way she felt about Derek and who was he to say if Derek cared about her or not? All Scott had ever seen was the tough side of Derek. The side that wanted to get things done at whatever cost…Scarlett, on the other hand, had chipped away at his threatening exterior enough that she had revealed the other side of him, the side that only she got to see. "You're wrong."

Scott didn't say anything else as he pulled up to the hospital and got out. Scarlett stayed in the back looking out of the window until she saw someone stab Scott out of the blue making her gasp loudly in shock and cover her mouth. She moved so that she was able to see who it was without being seen herself and she saw that Gerard was the one who had put the knife into her brother. She stared at Scott with wide eyes and he silently told her to stay put. He looked as if he was in so much pain and at the same time he was trying to put on a brave face and listen to whatever Gerard was saying. Scarlett tried to hear what was being said but it was no use considering he was basically talking in a whisper. She stayed hidden the best she could, continuously twisting her hands together in anxiety. She looked out the windshield and saw her mom walking towards the car. When she looked back to Scott, Gerard was gone and Scott was left clutching his wounded stomach.

"Are you okay?" She heard Melissa asked when she opened the door.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine." Scott answered.


	16. Chapter 16: Trust Breeds Trust

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: I really am sorry that these updates keep coming so far apart guys. Apparently all of my teachers decided that they would give out shit loads of homework this week so I have had no time to write or update and it pisses me off because I feel like I'm making you guys wait so long. Anyway, please forgive me and I will try to update as regularly as possible :)**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

"I like moments like this." Scarlett sighed, her cheek pressed against Derek's chest as she lay on top of him. He hummed in agreement, tracing random patters onto the exposed part of her back with the tips of his fingers.

"_But_, it would be so much better if we were naked." He complained making Scarlett laugh and sit up so that she was straddling his waist.

"Hmm…" She slowly moved her hands up his chest and leaned down to his ear. "We don't have time to be naked." She leaned back and smirked and he rolled his eyes as he began tracing the top of the lacy bustier she was wearing, brushing his finger across the tops of her breasts that the bustier generously showed off.

"You certainly are a tease ma chérie." Derek murmured, looking at her with fascination.

Scarlett bit her lip. "Has anyone ever told you that you sound incredibly sexy speaking French?"

Derek shook his head, grinning. "Non, juste vous chérie."

"J'aime quand tu m'appelles chérie." Scarlett giggled.

"Guess I'm not the only one who sounds sexy speaking French." Derek laughed, capturing her lips with his own and kissing her painfully slowly. He pulled away and looked like he was listening in to something. "They're back."

"Oh, goodie." She said sarcastically. He smiled and pecked her lips again before urging her to stand up so he could get up as well. Scarlett did so begrudgingly and walked out of the subway car with him following her. The two of them sat on the step together and watched as Erica and Isaac entered, dragging Jackson along with them.

"What happened to you on the night of the full moon?" Derek asked, getting straight to the point, ignoring Jackson's pleads to be let go.

"Why are you here Scarlett?" Jackson asked, his attention turned on her. She went to answer but Derek cut her off.

"That's not important right now. What's important is you telling me what happened on the night of the full moon."

"Nothing." Jackson hissed. "Nothing happened."

Derek looked back up at him. "You're lying. Scarlett, hand me those gloves." Scarlett looked beside her and saw the black pair of gloves that Derek was referring to. She picked them up and gave them a strange look before handing them over. Derek started putting them on and Jackson started struggling against Erica and Isaac's grip even more.

"I-I can prove it! I taped myself." Scarlett raised a brow. She knew Jackson was a creep but that was just beyond strange.

"You taped yourself?" Isaac asked with a laugh.

"Yes." Jackson answered in his face. "It was the night of the full moon and maybe while you were curled in the corner having an existential crisis about turning into a monster…I was preparing for the so-called _gift_ your big bad Alpha promised me! But what do I get? Nothing. You want proof? Let me get the video."

Scarlett looked at Derek expectantly, thinking he'd let Jackson go so he could get the tape. But instead he shook his head, picking up the shard of glass from next to him. "No…no, I have a better idea."

"What is that?" Jackson asked, the panic evident in his voice and on his face as Erica and Isaac forced him to his knees. Scarlett's eyes widened a little, even she wasn't too sure about what Derek was doing. She put her hand on Derek's arm when he stood up, stopping him momentarily.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Just watch." He told her, shrugging her hand off and walking towards Jackson with the shard of glass in his hands. "You know Jackson…you've always kind of been a snake and everyone knows a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom." Then it clicked for Scarlett what he was doing. She thought she had seen some sort of liquid on the glass. It must've been the toxin that the Kanima used to paralyze people.

Isaac and Erica forced Jackson's mouth open and held him still while he made struggling noises as Derek tipped the glass and a drop of the toxin went into Jackson's mouth. They made Jackson swallow it and then stepped away so that he fell to the ground. Scarlett stepped up next to Derek to watch what was happening.

Derek looked around and sighed when they all saw that Jackson was in fact paralyzed. In a way, Scarlett was kind of glad that he wasn't the Kanima because if he was then Derek would have killed him and it didn't matter how much Scarlett didn't like Jackson, she didn't want to see him die…just like he had told her that he didn't want to see her end up dead either. Also, if they had tried to kill him then she would've stepped in the way to prevent it and there would just have been so much chaos that was probably best to avoid at all costs.

Derek went over to Jackson and crouched down beside him. "You're still a snake Jackson. Just not the one we're looking for." He got up again and walked back inside the subway car. Scarlett followed after him when she saw Isaac beginning to talk to Jackson.

"If it's not him…then who the hell is it?" She asked, leaning on a pole. Derek clenched his jaw and looked at her.

"I have an idea. But you're not gonna like it." Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Well who e-" Her eyes widened when she saw the look he was giving her. "No. No way. It- it's not Lydia if that's what you're thinking."

"Think about it. She was the only other person bitten that didn't turn." He said, his tone bordering urgent.

"But it can't be her. The night that Tucker, the mechanic, died? I was with her. I slept next to her the full night." Scarlett explained.

"Maybe you just didn't hear her getting up and leaving." Derek suggested.

"I think I would've heard her turning into that thing!"

"Kanima." He corrected her. She glared at him.

"Whatever, she would've killed me. Not just left me sleeping soundly."

"It didn't kill you the other night either though. Remember that? It had plenty of chances to and it didn't. Stiles said that when he looked into the Kanima's eyes, it seemed to recognise him. Do you think it recognised you?" Scarlett sighed. It had looked like it recognised her but she didn't want to tell him that. Although, he could take a good guess from her facial expression. "It did, didn't it? Ever occur to you that maybe that was the part of Lydia that was still awake, still human, telling herself not to kill her best friend?"

"I- no." Scarlett shook her head. "It isn't Lydia, Derek. Believe me."

"Well maybe it's you." She heard Erica say behind her. "We should test her, just to be safe."

"It's not her." Derek said sternly, giving Erica a dangerous look for even suggesting such a thing.

"I hate to break it to you cupcake, but I was never bitten. Now, if you'll excuse me I don't feel like being harassed any longer." Scarlett reached for her bag, shouldered it and pushed past a smirking Erica to get out of the subway car and make her way to the stairs which she practically sprinted up.

* * *

As Scarlett was walking to her next class she suddenly felt herself being shoved up against the lockers, startling her.

"Tell me what you were doing with Derek." Jackson growled at her, seeming to be incredibly angry for reasons Scarlett wasn't exactly sure of.

"W-what?" She asked, trying to stay as far away from him as possible.

"Did he turn you? Huh? Are you one of them now? Were you just gonna let him kill me if that stuff didn't paralyze me?!" What the hell was he getting so worked up about?

"No, I'm not-"

"Don't lie to me!" Before Scarlett could reply, Jackson was yanked away from her and thrown up against the lockers beside her by Isaac.

"Back the hell off." Isaac growled at him, shocking not only Jackson but Scarlett herself. Jackson glared and then walked off angrily. "I got your back." Isaac smirked at Scarlett who was still processing what had just happened.

"Um…thank you?" She wasn't really sure what to say in this situation. It had been extremely unexpected. She had just figured that since Erica didn't like her then neither would Isaac. Then again, she was nice to him before so maybe that had something to do with it.

"No problem." He shrugged, walking away and leaving her completely puzzled as she actually made her way to class. When she arrived, Lydia had already saved her a seat next to her.

"You look…confused." Lydia pointed out as Scarlett sat down.

"I am." She confessed. Lydia shrugged and started taking down notes from the board as Scarlett kept glancing at her sidelong. Surely she wasn't the Kanima. Lydia was a world class bitch most of the time but she wasn't capable of murdering anyone. There had to be someone else…someone they had missed because there was just no way that Scarlett was going to accept even the slightest possibility that it was Lydia. Because accepting that might lead to it being true and it being true led to Lydia's imminent death. Something that Scarlett wouldn't be able to handle. Lydia didn't deserve to die. She had so much going for her. She was going to graduate extremely easily and then go to some fancy university and become famous and win prizes for being the smartest person alive. So, Scarlett was simply not going to let her be killed.

Scarlett looked over at Scott and Stiles who were talking in hushed tones to Jackson who kept eyeing Scarlett with distrust. She made a face and turned back to the lesson. Coach had asked a question and Lydia put her hand up but Scarlett hadn't heard it so of course, she didn't. He ended up choosing someone else anyway. When that person had went up and answered the question he then asked another one and this time he did pick Lydia. She made her way up to the board but when she was up there she seemed to go into some sort of trance, writing the same thing over and over again, all over the board. The whole class started whispering and Scarlett just looked at Lydia with a face full of confusion that soon turned to worry as Lydia turned around and started crying with her eyes closed, looking like she was having some sort of nightmare.

"Lydia. Lydia. Lydia…" Coach said a little louder making Lydia's eyes snap open. Her makeup was all smudged from her tears and she looked petrified as the whole class stared at her. "Okay then, anybody else wanna try answering? This time, in…English?" The class burst out laughing and Lydia just stood there. "Uh…female McCall! Take, Lydia to the bathroom and…help her." Coach said, not sure of how to handle the whole situation.

"Sure thing Coach." Scarlett sighed, picking up her bag and Lydia's and walking towards the front of the class to take Lydia to the bathroom.

Scarlett handed Lydia more toilet paper to help dry her eyes. "My makeup is a mess." Lydia complained, wiping the mascara from under her eyes as she looked in the mirror. Scarlett sighed and took her makeup bag out, setting it beside the sinks.

"Come here." She said, motioning for Lydia to turn towards her. She started by cleaning up all of the smeared makeup and then she started reapplying the mascara and eyeliner. As she did so she thought she should probably ask about what happened. "So, what was it?"

"What?" Lydia asked, looking upwards as Scarlett put mascara on her bottom lashes.

"You know what. Did you see something? Because you looked pretty freaked."

"I didn't see anything. I'm not going crazy." Lydia told her defiantly. Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say you were. I just wanna know so I can help you out." She said sympathetically.

"I already have the school councillor trying to 'help me out'. I just need you, as my best friend, to believe me. I am not going crazy." Scarlett nodded and took out Lydia's favourite lipstick of Scarlett's to put it on her. Lydia turned to look at herself in the mirror again, impressed with the way she looked.

"Perfect." Scarlett said with a smirk, zipping her makeup bag back up and putting it away just as the bell for next period rang. Chemistry…great.

Allison sat down next to Scarlett after silently asking Scott why he was sitting next to Lydia. He nodded towards Erica and Isaac who apparently were there to test Lydia which made Scarlett's blood boil because it meant that despite her plea to Derek to believe that Lydia was innocent, he had sent them to test her anyway.

"What's going on?" Allison asked in a whisper.

"Nothing good." Scarlett replied quietly, sending a glare Erica's way before Mr Harris started talking.

"Einstein once said, 'Few things, are infinite. The universe and human stupidity' and I'm not sure about the universe…I myself have encountered infinite stupidity." He said, patting Stiles' shoulder. "So, to combat the plague of ignorance in my class you're going to combine efforts for a round of group experiments. Let's see if two heads are in fact, better than one or in Mr Stilinksi's case, less than one. Erica, you take the first station. Start-" Suddenly every male's hand, save for Scott, Isaac and Stiles', shot up in the air. Scarlett looked around and scoffed. "I didn't ask for volunteers. Put your hormonal little hands down. Start with Mr McCall. Alright, next two."

Allison and Scarlett shared a pissed look as Erica looked at both of them triumphantly.

Scarlett was paired with Isaac, which wasn't that bad, and he sat and watched her do most of the work, only passing her what she needed and writing down what she told him to. After a while the silence was kind of annoying her so she spoke up. "So, you had something to tell me the other day, right? What was that?"

He looked at her, kind of hoping she would have forgotten but, of course, she hadn't. "Um, nothing. Nothing, it doesn't matter." He covered, quickly moving on to something else that still had a connection to his question from the other day that he never got a chance to ask. "So you and Derek, huh?"

She looked at him and gave short smile. "Yeah."

"How long's that been going on for?" Her brows furrowed in confusion. What was with the 20 questions?

"Not- not that long actually." She shrugged. As Isaac was about to ask another question about Scarlett's relationship, Mr Harris rang the bell and Isaac was forced to leave so that the next person could sit with Scarlett. And she felt so relieved when he was gone. She didn't really like the way he was trying to pry into her relationship with Derek. Yeah, they were only simple questions but she had a feeling if he had been able to stick around longer they would've gotten deeper.

Scarlett finally turned her attention to whoever her partner was and she sighed when she saw it was Taylor. At least it wasn't someone she didn't really know. Scarlett continued doing the experiment and Taylor began writing down notes quickly.

"So, when did Isaac Lahey get so hot?" Taylor asked, glancing hungrily at Isaac. Scarlett scrunched up her face, looking at Isaac. She had always seen him as cute rather than hot but…Taylor kind of had a point. Becoming a werewolf did good things for that boy. Oh God, she was beginning to sound like her blonde friend. It didn't matter if she thought Isaac was hot anyway, she didn't like him like that. And, she also only had eyes for one guy…

"Yeah well he's more confident now and you know what they say, confidence is sexy." Wait, did she just call Isaac…sexy? No. No, she most certainly did not.

"Very true." Taylor sang, looking at him again and biting her lip.

"What happened to your date from the other night?"

"Eh, we had a fun night but then he became a bore." She shrugged. "You and Isaac seemed chatty though…you feel like putting in a good word for me?"

Scarlett laughed. "Sure, why not?" She thought it would be interesting to see what his reaction was anyway.

"You truly are an angel my dear." Taylor smirked. Scarlett drew a halo around her head with her finger, making Taylor giggle before they got on with the experiment. When it was time to move again, Scarlett got landed with some random guy.

"If you have catalysed the reaction correctly then you should be looking at a crystal." Mr Harris said. Scarlett looked in her beaker and made a proud face as she saw the perfect crystal. Although Chemistry wasn't her favourite subject, she was still good at it and wanted to excel in it because Sciences always looked good on college and university applications.

"Now, for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy…you can eat it." Scarlett let the guy take the crystal out of the beaker with the tongs and he offered it to her.

"You did the work." He said. She smirked and took the crystal carefully, biting into it. It didn't really taste like anything, but she liked crunching it for some odd reason.

"Lydia!" Scott suddenly jumped up, making the whole class stare at him. Lydia turned around and looked at him innocently.

"What?" She asked, holding the crystal up.

"Nothing." He said, sitting back down. Scarlett looked at him oddly, wondering what the hell his problem was and then she saw the gooey liquid that dripped from the crystal as Lydia placed into her mouth. Scarlett held her breath and watched intently along with Scott, Isaac and Erica as nothing happened to Lydia.

* * *

Scarlett, Scott, Allison and Stiles all walked into Coach's office together.

"Derek's outside waiting for Lydia." Scott told them all. Scarlett frowned at that. She really wished that he would've listened to her when she told him it wasn't Lydia because despite her not passing the stupid test, she was not the Kanima. And nothing could convince Scarlett otherwise.

"To kill her?" Allison asked.

"If he thinks she's the Kanima then yeah." Scott replied.

"It's not her." Stiles said with an air of finality.

"I'm with Stiles. It can't be Lydia. It's someone else. Who gives a shit about some stupid test?" Scarlett asked, her anger rising ever so slightly.

"Well, it doesn't matter because Derek thinks it's her." Allison said, sounding defeated. "So either we can convince him that he's wrong or…we need to find a way to protect her."

"I don't think he's gonna do anything here. Not at school." Scott said, shaking his head.

"What about after school?" Allison asked. "What if we can prove that Derek's wrong?"

"By three o'clock?" Stiles asked, incredulous.

"There could be something in the Bestiary." Allison suggested.

"Isn't that written in Latin…?" Scarlett asked, seriously doubting that they would have enough time to find something that would prove Lydia's innocence. She was all for trying though.

"Yeah, and it also happens to be nine hundred pages long." Stiles added on.

"Actually, I think I know someone who might be able to translate it." Allison suddenly realised.

"I-I can try to talk to Derek…maybe try to convince him to give us a chance to prove that it's not Lydia." Scott said doubtfully.

"No, no. Derek isn't going to listen to you…" Stiles said shaking his head before slowly turning his gaze to Scarlett, making Scott and Allison's follow. "But he'll listen to you."

Scarlett sighed. "I already made it pretty clear this morning that I didn't think it was her and there was no possible way it was Lydia because I was with her the other night when the Kanima killed Tucker and yet, here Derek is trying to kill her."

"You were with Derek this morning?" Scott asked with a glare.

"Not the time, Scott." Scarlett told him, not in the mood to fight with him even more.

"Okay. Here's what we're gonna do." Scott said, leaving his annoyance at Scarlett for another time. "Scarlett and I will go and talk to Derek as soon as school finishes while you two get Lydia and take her back to our house. Tell her whatever you have to just make sure that she stays inside and you keep the door locked until and be careful." Scott's tone became softer as he looked at Allison.

"What does that mean?" Allison asked quietly.

"It means you can't heal like I can…I just don't want you getting hurt." Scott whispered to Allison, who sighed and got up to rummage around in her bag until she found a portable crossbow.

Scarlett cocked her head to the side and raised a brow. "Huh. That's handy." She murmured to herself.

"I can protect myself." Allison told Scott confidently, holding the crossbow up. When Scott gave her another look, her face turned soft. "What? Did something else happen?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt. Seriously, if anything happens, call me. Okay? Cause I-I don't care if your dad finds out. Call, text, scream, yell, whatever, I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can." Scarlett's heart ached as she watched Scott talk to Allison. He really did love her. He loved her enough to risk being caught by her father just in case she needed help. Scarlett scoffed internally. And Derek wouldn't even trust her on one thing that she was absolutely sure about…No. No. That was wrong of her to think. Derek was just trying to stop people from being killed the best way he knew how; by eliminating the threat. Scarlett couldn't blame him for that and of course all the signs pointed to Lydia but she wasn't his best friend like she was Scarlett's. He hadn't known her forever so Scarlett couldn't expect him to understand why she was so adamant that Lydia wasn't some scary ass snake-creature thing that was murdering people. And she also couldn't expect him to say the things that Scott said to Allison. Their relationship was just starting even though it felt like they had been together for so much longer.

Scarlett sighed and walked to the door, seeing that Scott looked like he was ready to go. She heard a noise behind her and turned to see Scott holding an arrow right in front of her forehead. Her eyes widened as she looked at Stiles who had shot the arrow at her, and then she looked at Scott. He had literally just saved her life…again.

"Oh, whoa…uh, sorry. Sensitive trigger on- on that." Stiles said, pointing to the mini crossbow.

Scarlett and Scott left the room and began walking to their next class together. "Thank you…for you know, catching the arrow." Scarlett said, glancing at her brother.

"I wasn't just gonna let you die." He said, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him.

"So…you do still love me then?" She asked with hopeful eyes. Scott sighed and looked at her.

"You're my sister Scar. Of course I love you. I'm pissed at you though. And I don't agree with your decisions and I think they're really stupid and you made a terrible mi-"

"Okay! I get it…you think I'm an idiot. But you don't hate me so I'll take that." Scarlett smirked. Scott shook his head and pulled the door to the classroom open and held it for her as she walked through.

* * *

At the end of the day, the twins made their way across the lacrosse field, in silence, towards Boyd who was waiting for them.

"Where's Derek?" Scarlett asked. "I need to talk to him."

"Talk to me." He said.

Scott sighed. "I don't wanna fight." He told Boyd, walking closer to him. Scarlett stayed by her twin's side the whole time.

"Good. Because I'm twice the size of you."

"True." Scott admitted. "Really, true…but you know what I think? I'm twice as fast." He said before he caught Boyd off guard and tackled him to the ground. Scarlett saw Derek approaching them and she quickly moved around the two boys to get to him.

Before she could say anything he was already talking. "She didn't pass the test, Scarlett."

Scarlett groaned. "I don't give a shit about some stupid test! I do, however, give a shit about you killing an innocent person! An innocent person, who by the way, happens to be my best friend!"

"She's a killer." He said, acting as if he wasn't fazed by the pleading tone of her voice. Inside he was beating himself up. He hated to do this to her, to take away her best friend but if he didn't then Scarlett might be the next victim and he wasn't at all okay with that.

"Do you trust me at all?" She asked, staring into his eyes with her doe-like ones.

"I trust you more than anyone." He told her quietly.

"Then trust me on this…please." She begged.

"We're not gonna let you kill her." Scott said, stepping up beside Scarlett. Derek shared a small laugh with Boyd, which Scarlett found completely rude and disrespectful given the circumstances. Given how much Derek knew he was going to hurt her by doing this.

"Oh, who said I was gonna do it?" Derek asked. Scarlett's eyes widened slightly…of course, Erica and Isaac. She took a breath and calmed herself as she remembered that they had a plan. Stiles and Allison were going to get Lydia out of school quickly and they were going to take her to Scott and Scarlett's house where they would be part of the study group.

Scott looked back towards the school and Boyd took that as his chance to slam him to the ground, making Scarlett gasp and cringe at the same time.

"I don't see why you think you have to protect everyone now Scott," Derek shrugged, stepping in front of Scarlett to look down at Scott. Both McCall twins glared at him as he did so. "Even so, Lydia has killed people and she'll do it again and next time it's gonna be one of us." He said, glancing at Scarlett as the thought of her being ripped to shreds entered his mind. It was enough to scare him to death. He wasn't sure how he would be able to live without her if that happened, which only made him want this over with faster so that she was out of danger.

"You're wrong." Scarlett said from behind him. He looked at her again and shook his head.

"She was bitten by an Alpha. It's her."

"You saw that thing up close," Scott said, leaning on his elbows. "You know it's not like us."

"But it is! We're all shape-shifters. You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely and it happens for a reason."

"What's the reason?" The twins asked at the same time.

Derek sighed. "Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are…and even Stiles calls her cold-blooded." He said, helping Scott up.

"What if she's immune? What if there's something inside of her that made her immune to the bite which is why she didn't get paralyzed?" Scott asked.

"No one is immune." Derek stressed. "Never seen of it or heard of it because it hasn't ever happened."

"It happened with Jackson." Scarlett muttered.

"That's why you tested him, isn't it?" Scott questioned angrily. "Because you gave him what he wanted. Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you. I bet you were hoping he would die! But nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, do you?"

"No." Derek admitted, clenching his jaw.

"Well I have a theory…Lydia's immune and somehow she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right-"

"No!" Derek shouted.

"You cannot do this!" Scott argued. Scarlett watched the two anxiously. This shouldn't even be an argument that they were having. This shouldn't be happening in the first place. Things like this weren't supposed to happen in real life.

"I can't let her live!" Scarlett jumped slightly at the harshness of Derek's voice. He looked back at her, sensing her unease before sighing. "You should've known that."

"I was hoping I would convince you. But then," Scott looked at Scarlett. "We weren't counting on it." Derek gave both of them a confused look and Scarlett sighed. After everything, him trying to kill her best friend and all of it…why in the hell did she feel guilty? She had no reason to. This plan was going to stall them. It might even give them the chance to prove Lydia's innocence. Her feelings for Derek were just getting in the way.

Scott looked at Scarlett and she gave him a nod, indicating that it was okay for him to go. He looked at them all again before taking off at a sprint back to the school.

"What did you do?" Derek growled, grabbing Scarlett's arm. She grimaced and shoved his hand away.

"I didn't do anything. I've been here the whole time. Lydia, on the other hand, is somewhere safe…" She told him, turning on her heel about to leave.

"You know we have to do this. I can't keep putting your life at risk by having Lydia turn into the Kanima. Especially not when we can stop her." Derek said, causing her to turn around and walk towards him until she was in his personal space, jabbing her finger into his chest.

"You do this and I will never forgive you." She said, her voice teetering on the edge of a broken whisper. She didn't want to be saying this but she wasn't capable of stopping herself. She was so angry with him though. How were they ever supposed to be a couple if he didn't trust her? Because she trusted him more than anyone and it hurt that the trust wasn't returned even though he claimed it was. "Never." Her glare faltered as she saw the hurt flash in his eyes but she ignored it and walked away from him and to the parking lot so she could get to her house ASAP.

* * *

Scarlett groaned as she knocked on the door yet again. "Stiles, it's me! _Just _me."

"So Derek isn't out there?" She heard him shout from inside.

"What? No, no. It's me. Alone, solo, by myself. Now open the fucking door!" This was ridiculous. He had refused to let her into her own house because he suspected that as soon as the door was open they would be ambushed by Derek's pack.

"Move." She heard Allison say and then she heard a bang like Stiles had fallen into something which, knowing him, he most likely had. All the locks on the door started to unlock and then Allison appeared in the open doorway, yanking Scarlett inside.

"Thank you." Scarlett said to Allison while she glared at Stiles who was just getting up from falling into the coat-stand by the door.

"Where's Derek?" Stiles asked, locking the door again and putting a chair underneath the doorknob.

Scarlett raised a brow at him as she started speaking. "I don't know. Probably on his way here. Where's Lydia?"

"Upstairs with Jackson." Allison answered.

"Jackson's here?" Scarlett asked incredulously. Allison nodded. "Great. So what do we do now? Just…wait?"

"Not for very long." Stiles muttered, looking out the window. Allison and Scarlett shared a look before moving the curtain and looking as well to see Derek, Isaac, Erica and Boyd all getting out of Derek's car.

"Well shit." Scarlett sighed, letting the curtain close over as she moved back to lean on the wall. Allison moved her mini crossbow to her other hand so that she could snatch Stiles' phone out of his pocket. He went to protest but she was already dialling Scott's number and walking away.

"What do you guys keep weapon wise?" Stiles asked, turning to face Scarlett. She gave him a blank look.

"A frying pan." She shrugged. He gave her an incredulous look. "Oh, or Scott's baseball bat."

"Not helpful." Stiles told her, looking back out the window.

"Says you." She scoffed.

"You need to get here. Now." Allison said into the phone, glancing over in their direction. Scott told her he'd be there soon and she hung up. All of them looked out the window again nervously. The pack had moved closer to the house and they were all talking to each other, sparing glances at the house, most likely discussing how they were going to get in. Scarlett caught Derek's eye but she couldn't bear to keep looking at him, not now, not when he was plotting to kill her best friend. She quickly turned her head to Allison who was looking anxiously at Stiles' phone as she started typing in a number.

"What're you doing?" Scarlett whispered, causing Stiles to look around as well.

Allison looked at her and shook her head. "I think- I think I need to call my dad."

"But, but if he find you here you and Scott-"

"I know." Allison cut Stiles off, wiping at the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes.

"Allison, if you call your dad…he'll kill them." Scarlett said worriedly. She wanted them to go away but she wasn't going to let Derek get killed. Or any of them for that matter. The other three were only teenagers. Her peers…letting them be killed wouldn't be fair. In this situation, it was the people on Scott's side that had to be the bigger men. It didn't matter that Isaac and Erica were going to try and kill Lydia, their deaths wouldn't be right.

"I know. But what else are we supposed to do?" Allison's voice was quiet and sympathetic because she knew that the hunters would kill the pack, Derek along with them, but she couldn't just let them kill Lydia either.

Scarlett's heart rate picked up quickly. "Be the bigger people…Allison, I can't- I can't sit back and watch them...Derek, be slaughtered. I don't agree with what he's trying to do but put yourself in my shoes, if it was Scott out there trying to kill her…would you still call your dad?" Allison looked down at the phone and shook her head, locking it and looking back at Scarlett. "Thank you."

"I have an idea." Stiles spoke up. "Just shoot one of them."

"Are you serious?" Allison asked, continuously glancing out the window.

"We told Scott we could protect ourselves. So let's do it. At least give it a shot…they don't think we're gonna fight so I guarantee if one of them gets hit they'll take off. So just shoot one of them."

"Which one?" Allison looked out again, eyeing the pack.

"D-Derek." Stiles breathed. "Yeah, shoot him. Preferably in the head."

"No!" Scarlett protested causing Stiles to glare at her.

"If Scott was able to catch an arrow then Derek definitely can." Allison said, agreeing with Scarlett. Not for the same reasons, of course, but still agreeing.

"Well shoot one of the other three then."

"Shoot Erica." Scarlett muttered pettily.

"You mean other two?" Allison asked, her face close to the window as she peered out of it. Stiles looked at Scarlett with a worried expression as they both peered through as well.

"Where the hell's Isaac?" Stiles asked, seeing only Derek, Erica and Boyd still standing outside looking in. They backed up, Allison pointing the crossbow at the door shakily until someone came up behind her and pushed her down to the stairs. Isaac then turned to Scarlett and Stiles who were both shaking slightly. He punched Stiles in the face, sending him flying and he went to go and beat him up some more but Scarlett quickly got in between the two. Isaac growled but didn't make another move. Then it clicked.

"You can't hurt me." She said in realisation. Isaac glared at her, eyes glowing a bright golden colour. "He told you not to. And when your Alpha gives an order…you have to listen, don't you?" She smirked slightly, still staying put in front of Stiles who was slowly getting back to his feet.

"Move." Isaac growled, eyes locked on Stiles who had grabbed a vase and thrown it at him. Isaac ducked quickly and it shattered against the wall behind him.

"Stiles!" Scarlett hissed. That was her mom's favourite vase. While she was distracted, Isaac darted around Scarlett and lunged at Stiles. Stiles fell, hitting a chair and clawed at the carpet at Isaac began dragging him backwards. Scarlett turned quickly and jumped on Isaac's back, putting her arm tightly against his throat so that he couldn't breathe properly causing him to let go of Stiles. Isaac struggled and so did Scarlett as he moved backwards and slammed her against the wall knocking the wind out of her. She groaned and let go as she slumped against the wall.

"Sorry." He shrugged, playing it off as nothing although he did actually feel bad about hurting her. It's not as if he wanted to. Even if Derek hadn't given the order not to lay a finger on Scarlett and to protect her, he still wouldn't intentionally hurt her. She was somewhat of a friend and the fact that he had a hugely embarrassing crush on her didn't help matters. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Isaac rubbed his throat and went after Stiles again. Just as he was about to grab Stiles, Scarlett got up and tackled him to the ground, only being able to do so because she had caught him off guard. While Stiles and Scarlett struggled to keep Isaac pinned down, they completely missed Erica sneaking into the house and up the stairs. Isaac continued his attempts and clawing at them and when he managed to push both of them down so he could stand up he swung his hand back, about to claw Stiles but instead he ended up slashing Scarlett who had jumped in front of Stiles to take the blow again. Isaac froze and looked at the claw marks on her arm that were gushing with blood.

Scarlett yelped in pain, covering the wounds with her hand while she stared at Isaac in horror.

"Oh God…" He said, his voice full of worry and fear. "Scarlett, I'm so s-" Before he could finish his sentence he was knocked to the ground by a roaring Scott. While Scott fought with Isaac, Stiles grabbed Scarlett's hand and quickly led her to the bathroom where Melissa kept the first-aid kit. He sat her down on the toilet lid and grabbed the box, taking out the rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. She clenched her teeth as he cleaned the wounds and then wrapped a bandage around them quickly.

Stiles stood back, wiping his forehead and sighing. "Well, at least you're not gonna bleed out."

Scarlett looked at her arm. "Thank you." She said gratefully, appreciating what a good friend Stiles was to her and to everyone.

"Do you think he meant what he said about being sorry?" Stiles asked out of the blue, referring to Isaac.

"No. I think he's scared shitless because he went against what Derek told him." Scarlett answered immediately, not having a clue about how Isaac really felt about hurting her. "Let's go." She said, getting up and walking out of the bathroom with Stiles in tow. They ran into Allison who was dragging a paralyzed Erica out of Scott's room. Scarlett and Stiles gave her a questioning look and she smirked triumphantly, telling Stiles to help her. When they got down the stairs, Isaac was half unconscious with Scott standing over him. Scott opened the front door and threw Isaac out, then Erica, and then the four of them walked out afterwards standing side by side.

"You know, I think I'm starting to get why you keep refusing me Scott. You're not an omega. You're already an alpha, of your own pack…but you know you can't beat me." Derek said, looking at all of them, his eyes lingering on Scarlett before moving to the bandage on her arm which she subconsciously covered up.

"Maybe not, but I can hold you off until the cops get here." Scott retorted, glaring at Derek. The smile dropped from Derek's face as his head snapped in the direction that the sirens were coming from before he, and everyone else, looked up at the hissing sound coming from the roof. Scott, Scarlett, Allison and Stiles all ran from the porch onto the street so they could see what was happening. When they saw the Kanima, Scarlett instinctively moved closer to Derek who took a step in front of her as the Kanima turned to look at them all letting out a horrific screech before jumping off of the roof and running away at an incredible speed. Scarlett hadn't noticed that she was clinging onto Derek's arm until she looked down. She quickly let go but she didn't move away, she just averted her gaze.

"Get them out of here." Derek said to Boyd, nodding to Isaac and Erica who were still on the ground. The sound of heels on the porch made everyone turn their heads to the house again to see Lydia walking out looking angry.

"Would someone tell me what the_ hell_ is going on?!" She shouted. Scarlett's eyes widened as the realisation set in.

"It's Jackson." Scott whispered, only loud enough for the three teens beside him to here.

* * *

The wounds in her arm started to burn as Scarlett picked up the shards of glass that were once the vase Stiles threw at Isaac. She winced but ignored the pain. She had to get all of this mess cleaned up before her mom came home and threw a fit.

"Who did that?" She heard Derek ask from behind her. Of course he came back. Everyone else was gone so it was the perfect chance for him to talk to her. Scott had gone with Stiles back to Stiles' house for a while, Allison had taken Lydia home, Boyd had taken Isaac and Erica away and, of course, Melissa was at work.

"What? The glass? Stiles. He threw a vase at Isaac and he missed." She shrugged, not turning around. Derek rolled his eyes and walked towards her, taking her hand and pulling her off the ground. She sighed and kept her eyes locked on the floor as he gently touched the bandage.

"Not that…this." He said.

"It was an accident." She told him, not wanting to go ratting Isaac out. He moved her hair behind her ear, making her look up at him.

"Tell me Scar." His voice was soft yet there was a warning undertone to it. Scarlett felt herself leaning into his touch and wanting to forgive him for everything and just kiss him because his sensitive side was showing through again and she couldn't resist when that side of him showed through for her.

"Don't do that." She said, putting her hand on his to take it away from her face. "Don't try to act all caring and sweet and assume that I'll just forgive you for what you tried to do…for not trusting me even though I trust you more than I trust myself." He closed his eyes in frustration as she bent down to pick up the rest of the glass before taking it away to the kitchen to put it in the trash. Scarlett fought the urge to cry as she straightened up the rest of the house so it looked normal again. When she was finished she rushed upstairs and Derek followed her, refusing to leave with her angry at him.

Scarlett went to her bathroom and grasped the sides of the sink, looking at herself, breathing heavily. She was so conflicted. There was a war going on inside of her head. One side of her wanted to tell Derek to fuck off and leave her alone and be angry at him and the other side told her that doing that was a very bad idea, that if she couldn't talk to him and work through it then what kind of relationship would they have?

She looked at him in the mirror as he walked in behind her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Why didn't you just listen to me?"

He sighed and walked closer to her. "Because everything pointed towards her. And I was so sure that's who it was and I wanted to get rid of it and I'm an idiot."

She nodded. "Yeah…you are." After the battle in her head it was apparent that her feelings for Derek were greater and more powerful than what her mind thought was right. He could sense her mood lighten a little and he stepped forward, gently moving her hair to one side and pressing a kiss to her pulse-point. He looked up into the mirror and saw her eyes had closed and she had a look of pleasure on her face. He moved his hands onto her waist and continued pressing open-mouthed kisses to her neck and shoulder and she thoroughly enjoyed it, biting her lip to supress the moan. "Promise me-" She gasped slightly when he gently nipped at her skin. "Promise me you'll start trusting and listening to me."

"I promise." He whispered in her ear before nipping it lightly and moving back to her neck.

"And promise that you, or anyone from your pack, will not so much as go _near_ Lydia again."

"Promise."

"Good." She said finally, opening her eyes and looking at their reflection in the mirror. She had to admit they looked extremely good together. She sighed. "We would make such pretty babies."

The very thought should have had him running for the hills but it didn't. He wouldn't mind kids in a few years maybe…if Scarlett was the mother. He smiled and looked at their reflection as well. "Maybe one day." Scarlett turned to look at him with the surprise evident on her face. How was it that all the anger she had felt from earlier was completely gone now? She didn't even want to be mad at him now. Actually, she kind of wanted to rip all of his clothes off and bang him but she resisted because not only was Scott probably going to be home soon but she didn't want Derek to think that she would just accept his apology, everything would be fine and they would just fuck to make up. That would make her seem like some sort of pushover that let him get away with anything and that was most definitely not what she was…or what she wanted to be.

"Holy shit." She cried, grabbing her arm as the scratches started hurting like hell. Derek quickly grabbed her hand and started taking the pain away. "What the holy hell is that?" She asked with wide eyes as she saw the black veins going up his arm. As she watched them, she slowly felt the pain fading away.

"That's me taking your pain away." He told her slowly, letting go of her hand again. "Better?" She looked at him and nodded before jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist as his hands automatically went to her ass to hold her up while they started making out wildly. He backed them up so that she was sitting on the edge of the counter and he was between her legs.

"I'm being serious, you know that right?" She panted. He gave her a questioning look.

"Serious about the babies?"

"What? No, I mean- yeah, I'm deadly serious that we would make pretty babies but that's not what…I'm being serious that you have to start trusting me. I can't just keep forgiving you so easily and then screwing you like nothing happened." She said, her mind stopping her from going any further with him until she knew for sure that there relationship wasn't going to be built on just sex.

"Look, I meant what I said. I promise. I'm going to start listening to you. Trust doesn't exactly come easily to me but I trust you, Scarlett. You are the person that I trust the most in this world." He said sincerely. She sighed and kissed him again.

"You better mean that."

"I swear, I do. And I'm gonna make it up to you…just not right now." He told her, giving her an apologetic look. The small smiled dropped from her face and she raised a brow at him.

"What? What do you mean not right now? Where the hell are you-" The look he gave her explained exactly where he was going without him even speaking to her. "You're going after the Kanima." She scoffed slightly, shaking her head and jumping down from the counter to walk back into her room. Derek looked after her with guilty eyes before following her.

"It's gonna kill someone else if I don't stop it." She continued to face away from him and he thought it would probably be best to just leave her without making her angrier. He looked at her again, hearing her heavy breathing, before sliding the window open. When she heard that she turned to look at him.

"Derek-" He turned to face her again just in time to meet her lips with his own. She placed her hands on the sides of his face as he placed his around her waist, pulling her close. After a few more seconds of the passionate kissing, Scarlett pulled back looking at him with gentle eyes. "When you're done being an idiot…come back here. Come back and let me know that you're still breathing because if you don't then I'll go insane."

"Nothing is going to happen to me-"

"Derek. That thing is stronger and faster and it can freaking _paralyze_ people with its claws and just, please, please be careful because I can't lose you…" Her voice broke as the tears welled up in her eyes. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise I'll be back. I'll come back to you, Scar, whatever it takes." He promised, stroking her face. She leaned into his touch, never wanting him to let go…but he did and then he was gone. Leaving her standing there, looking out the window and feeling numb. Until he was back to her, unharmed, she would feel numb because without knowing Derek was safe she wasn't capable of caring or thinking about anything else.


	17. Chapter 17: Troubles Haunt My Mind

HARSHER THAN THE BARK

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**A/N: Remember to follow, favourite and review! **

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Scarlett had waited for as long as she could, fighting the tiredness that had been creeping up within her all day, but eventually staring at the wall sent her to sleep. And when Derek got back she was sprawled out on top of the covers. He had never seen her sleeping before. She looked…peaceful, something that she didn't seem to be very often these days. She shivered slightly and he immediately moved the covers back, scooped her up and lay her down under them. The movement didn't wake her; she just made a slight noise and got comfy in her bed. He watched with interest, listening to her steady breaths and her heartbeat. His brows furrowed in confusion when she started to mumble things and toss from side to side.

"Der…" His name always trailed off but he could still tell that was what she was saying. What was confusing was why she was saying it. She kept repeating his name. And she didn't look peaceful anymore. She looked uneasy…like she was having a bad dream, a nightmare to be more specific. "Derek." Her voice was louder this time and it continued to get louder every time she said his name until finally she bolted up right, gasping, with tears running down her face. He was right next to her in a second, holding her shaking body and wiping the tears from her eyes. Her eyes widened when it registered that he was actually there and she turned completely towards him, practically throwing herself on him and clinging to his shirt tightly while she buried her face in his neck.

"Shh, Scar. I'm here, I'm right here." He whispered to her calmingly, stroking her hair and keeping a tight hold on her. She sniffled, taking a deep breath to slow her racing heart. Pulling back, she looked at him. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy.

"It was so real…" She croaked, coughing to clear her throat again. "You were dying… A-and there was- there was nothing I could do. I was just…stuck."

"It was just a dream." He told her, brushing his thumb across her cheek like he so often did.

Scarlett shook her head, placing her own hand over his and savouring the feeling of his touch against her skin. It was a reminder that he was still alive. "But, it _felt_ real." She looked up at him, the tears in her eyes making them glint in the moonlight.

He leaned down slightly, pressing a firm but gentle kiss to her lips. "But it wasn't." She kissed him again before pulling back and nodding.

"Would you mind just…laying with me? Until I fall asleep?" She asked quietly. Derek smiled slightly and nodded, urging her to move over. She moved and got back under the covers while he kicked off his shoes and sat next to her so that he could hold her in his arms until she was sleeping soundly.

The feeling of him being there with her was very comforting to Scarlett and she was asleep within minutes. The only downside was that as soon as she was sleeping Derek realised he had to go. Regretfully, he moved her off of him and got out of the bed, pulling the covers around her again, wishing that he could stay there and hold her all night. Sadly though, that wasn't the case and he couldn't stay. He had to get back to his pack.

* * *

"You did _what_?" Scarlett hissed, putting her arm out to stop Scott from walking any further. He leaned back slightly and shook his head before sighing.

"We didn't have any other choice!" He told her. Scarlett clapped her hands together and put them against her mouth.

"Y-you didn't have any other choice other than to steal a prison transport vehicle, lock Jackson inside of it and drive it into the middle of the woods?" Scarlett questioned incredulously.

"Exactly."

"Oh my God. You dumbasses! You seriously don't think anyone is gonna realise he's missing? You don't think people are going to start asking questions when he doesn't show up at school?" Her voice rose with every question, earning looks from the passing students.

"No, Stiles has his phone and he's been sending texts to Jackson's parents since this morning." Scott replied casually, as if none of it was a big deal and it would just all go smoothly and according to plan. Yeah, because that always seemed to work so well for them.

"Oh so that makes this all okay." Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest and gave Scott a that was akin to a mother giving her child a row for misbehaving.

"Would you rather he was running around killing people while we try to figure all this out?" Scott asked. Scarlett's shoulders slumped. He had her there. Of course she didn't want people getting killed.

"I just hope you know what you're doing Scotty." She sighed, turning away and walking to her next class which Scott was in as well.

When everyone was seated, a new teacher walked in. Well, substitute teacher…that just so happened to be Mrs Argent.

"Your teacher had to go home early so unfortunately, you're stuck with me as a substitute." Victoria said jokingly as she leaned against the teacher's desk with a small smile. Scarlett's eyes widened slightly. She looked back to Allison who was also staring wide-eyed at her mother. Then, Scarlett turned to glance at Scott and he looked more frightened than surprised. And rightly so. It couldn't just be a coincidence that Gerard was the principal and now Mrs Argent was substituting in their class. Them being at school could only mean that bad things were going to happen.

At the end of the lesson, Scarlett walked out of the class completely mind-boggled. She hadn't even paid any attention to what Mrs Argent was teaching. All she could think about was why she was there. She had mulled over everything again and again in her head and it all ended badly. With the Argents being everywhere…it wouldn't be long until they found out where Derek was. Or found out that Jackson was the Kanima. And if either were discovered they would most definitely be slaughtered.

Scarlett looked up for a second and caught sight of a camera in the corner. They had never had cameras in the school before…oh great. So this was Gerard again. Watching everything…Just the thought of being watched was enough to give her chills so she gave the camera a weird look and then kept her head down while walking to her next class which would hopefully be normal.

After school, Allison and Scarlett walked hurriedly through the woods together, heading towards where Stiles was with the transport van that had Jackson locked up inside. Scarlett still thought that all of this was a terrible idea and she didn't really want to be anywhere near the stolen van or Jackson considering he could turn at any point and kill them all.

"Oh God!" Stiles shouted, jumping slightly when they reached him. They had approached him from behind, scaring him, hence the reason he jumped.

"They know." Allison said quickly.

"What do you mean they know?" Stiles asked, confused.

"They know that Jackson's missing!" Scarlett explained, constantly looking around for any sign of the police or anyone else that wasn't supposed to be there.

Stiles' jaw dropped. "Wh- they can't know! I've been texting his parents all morning!" He held up Jackson's phone to the two girls so that they could read the texts Stiles had been sending. The only thing was, there had been no reply from Mr Whittemore which should've been a dead giveaway to begin with.

Allison shook her head. "No, my grandfather told me that his parents went to the school and the police."

"Oh my-" Stiles made a high-pitched noise, holding the phone away from him with two fingers as if it was going to explode at any second. He threw the phone to Scarlett who unwillingly kept a hold of it while Stiles ran to the van and turned on the police scanner. Allison shared a look with Scarlett and the two of them followed quickly, jumping into the van together when they heard that all police in the area were being told to go to the preserve to find them.

"Where are we gonna go?" Scarlett asked in a panic. She looked at Stiles who was dialling a number on Jackson's phone.

"As far away from this," He threw the phone out the window. "As possible." He started the van and they sped off to the opposite side of the preserve, where hopefully they wouldn't be found.

The three of them waited around until Scott finally got there and by that time it was time for Scarlett to go.

"Okay, well text me if anything happens." Scarlett said, putting her phone back into her pocket. The other three turned to look at her with confused expressions.

"Where are you going?" Scott asked her.

She gave him a blank look before sighing. "I told you. Mary invited me to Tucker's funeral. I have to go."

"Wh-"

"Go ahead Scar. We can handle things." Allison cut off what Scott was going to say, giving Scarlett a warm smile.

"Thank you." She smiled and walked away briskly, planning on how she was going to get out of the preserve without being seen by the cops.

Eventually she managed to make it out, having to sneak by deputies and hide behind trees several times in the process. Once she was in the clear she began the journey back to her house.

When she was dressed and ready Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror. As she took in her black attire an immense wave of sadness washed over her. This was really happening. She was going to have to go to Tucker's funeral and watch Mary's heart break even more than it already had. Scarlett had never really been close with Tucker per say but he was a good guy and he adored Mary with everything he had. That was the worst part about it. She was upset about Tucker's death, of course, but it was Mary who Scarlett was really worried about. She and Mary actually_ were_ close and Scarlett wasn't mentally prepared to see Mary so out of sorts considering it was Mary that was always smiling and laughing and helping people out. Seeing her at her house like that was bad enough. But now? Now they were going to have to actually face the fact that he was really dead. How was Mary supposed to cope with that? She was strong and fierce but Tucker had been her other half…a part of her, which meant that a part of her had died as well.

Scarlett sighed and shook her head. Mary would pull through…

"You never wear that much black." Scarlett jumped internally but she wasn't fazed on the outside. She really should be used to Derek popping up like that by now.

"Yeah well, I kind of have to for this occasion." She said glumly, turning to face Derek who was sitting on the bed. "It's Tucker, the mechanic's, funeral."

"And you're going why?" He asked, raising a brow at her.

"Because he was a friend. And because Mary asked me to." She explained. "Did you find it?"

"What?"

Scarlett sighed and walked over to sit next to him. "The Kanima. Last night. Did you find it?"

A look of recognition crossed Derek's face as he nodded. "I found it. Not that that did any good."

"How so?" She asked, leaning against him while he rubbed her back.

"It just gets back up again. Argent emptied an entire round into it and it _still_ got back up but…" He trailed off, not really sure if he should tell her all of this.

"But what?"

"Gerard was there and he- he looked at it…and he wasn't afraid." Derek mumbled, furrowing his brows as if he was trying to figure something out.

"So what does that mean?" Scarlett asked in confusion.

"I don't know." He told her, shaking his head before looking down.

"Hey," Scarlett said softly, touching the side of his face so that he looked at her. "We'll figure this out...eventually." She really did believe that. But only if they all worked together. If Derek and Scott trusted each other then they could figure out everything and find a way to save Jackson and stop the murders.

Derek looked at her like she was the most priceless thing in the world, which she was to him, before leaning in to meet her lips. It felt like more than a kiss for both of them. It was filled with all of their emotions…all of the feelings they held for one another, all the things that they didn't say out loud always showed through when they kissed. And as it became more passionate, Scarlett managed to climb into Derek's lap while he wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as possible, never wanting to let her go. Just wanting to keep her as safe as possible. Scarlett slid her hands through his hair, trying to be even closer to him which at that point was virtually impossible.

"I don't want you involved in this Scar." He told her once he had pulled back.

"It's a little late for that." She said quietly. And that was the truth. They both knew it. Scarlett was a part of this as much as the rest of them and it didn't matter how much Derek wanted to never let her out of his sight…he couldn't just keep her locked up. Despite all of this shit going on around them, she needed to have a semi-normal life.

"I wish you didn't have to be." He told her, resting his forehead against hers.

"Sometimes, I wish that too." She laughed a little. "Sometimes, I wish that we lived normal lives and we could be a normal couple…but that's just not the way it is. This is our lives. They're so screwed up and crazy but we can't just stop living them. We can't run away and hide from these problems because if we don't try to fix things, who will?"

"We will." Derek told her, looking into her eyes. "'We' being me, my pack and Scott…not you."

"I hate that. I hate the fact that you and Scott are constantly in danger. And I'm completely useless and I just- I can't lose you Derek. That dream that I had felt too real and it scared me to death. I-if I lose you…I won't be able to move on and-and I know that I don't say this a lot but you mean _everything_ to me and I-" He cut her off with a fierce kiss that told her he felt the same way, that he wouldn't be able to live without her.

Derek pulled back abruptly and stared at her. "Scarlett, you are my life. I can't let anything happen to you and I want you to understand that. I _need_ you to understand that." Scarlett noticed the desperate look in his beautiful eyes and her heart melted. She nodded in response to what he had said but Derek shook his head. "Say it. Say that you understand how much you mean to me."

"I understand. I do. Derek I-" Just before the words could come out of Scarlett's mouth her phone went off and she immediately snapped out of the trance Derek always put her in. She immediately scolded herself for almost letting those three words slip again and got off of Derek's lap to grab her phone.

"Hello?" Scarlett answered.

Derek watched her carefully, not too focused on listening to what the person was saying. Instead, he studied Scarlett…she seemed, not older but more mature than she had been when they first met. Could being involved in all this werewolf stuff really be the cause of that? Scarlett had always been more mature than most people her age but maybe she was being forced to grow up even faster to be able to handle all of this. Derek hated the thought of that. He hated that she had been brought into this crap. He hated the fact that he was a major factor in why she was involved in the first place. He would never understand why she chose to be with him when all he brought to her life was hassle and danger but he was so glad that she did. Scarlett was his reason. His reason for everything, despite everyone else thinking it was power. If he didn't have Scarlett then he would be empty, much like he was before. Before he met her, when everything was about being hateful towards the rest of the world for what had happened to his family. Of course, he would never get over what had happened. It would always haunt him in the back of his mind but Scarlett took away a hell of a lot of the pain and anger that he had felt before and replaced it with…hell, who was he kidding? She replaced it with love. The love he held for her. That's all he felt and thought about when they were together and even when they weren't. He had to focus on his pack and the Kanima, yes, but he only _wanted_ to focus on Scarlett. On her needs and everything she wanted. He wanted to be there for her and give her the relationship that she longed for.

"I'm leaving right now. Okay, I'll see you in a few." Scarlett said sympathetically, ending the call with Carrie.

"Who was that?" Derek asked as Scarlett let out a breath and looked at him.

"It was Mary's mother asking where I am. So…" She trailed off, gesturing towards the door. He nodded and smiled slightly.

"Need a ride?" He asked, standing up from the bed.

Scarlett shook her head. "I'm good but I have to go or I'm gonna be late." She told him, retrieving her bag and her jacket from the chair and leading the way out of her room.

When they were outside Scarlett hurried towards her car and Derek followed. She turned as she was about to get in and gave him a chaste kiss and a flawless smile. He returned the smile and let her get into the car before he shut her door for her like a gentleman. Scarlett blushed slightly, for no reason in particular. She just felt special in a way because Derek would never do that for anyone else. It wasn't a big gesture but it was a reminder that he cared about her and that they were together.

* * *

The funeral wasn't big. Mary didn't want it to be big and Mary had the right to call the shots on everything at the time. It was mostly Mary's family and of course Tucker's family and a few friends that were invited. Scarlett sat near Mary's family and she kept silent for the whole thing. Not only out of respect for Tucker but because her mind was too clouded with thoughts of 'what if this was Derek?' She didn't want to think like that but she was incapable of not doing so. She imagined herself in Mary's position and it only served to bring more tears to her eyes. It wasn't likely that she would lose Derek, she knew that and she believed that he was more than capable of taking care of himself but she couldn't help but fret over everything. If she ever lost him…how would she go on? If the Kanima or hunters or anyone ever took Derek away from her, she would be livid and then depressed and Scarlett was so thankful that it wasn't him in that coffin, as shallow, inconsiderate and selfish as it sounded.

Mary's speech evoked more than a few tears from everyone. It was filled with touching words and a few happy memories from their past. She held herself together so well until the last line of her speech which she struggled to get through because of the tears. Scarlett praised her for that. She admired Mary's strength and for that, she took it upon herself to be that strong. She didn't, in any way, think of herself as weak but it couldn't hurt to toughen up a bit with the life that she had.

"Thank you for coming Scar, it means a lot." Mary said sincerely, pulling Scarlett in for a tight hug which she returned without hesitation.

"Don't mention it." Scarlett brushed it off, thinking it was crazy if Mary thought that she wouldn't have went. "I'm always here for you Mary and I really am, so sorry, for your loss." Mary gave a weak smile and nodded before they hugged again and Scarlett left with everyone else.

* * *

"Okay, so you have been totally holding out on me with the juicy details." Lydia smirked, raising her eyebrows suggestively at Scarlett as they walked through Macy's together.

Scarlett's brows furrowed in confusion and she gave Lydia a questioning look. "What?"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "I _mean_ you and Derek. Derek and you. Let's hear it. How's the sex? Is it good? Is he good? Has he stayed the night yet? Have you stayed the night with him? Have you said 'I love you' yet?-"

"Lydia!" Scarlett snapped, stopping her on the seemingly never-ending list of questions.

"What? I have a right to know." Lydia pouted.

Scarlett sighed and tried to remember the questions so that she could give some answers because Lydia was right. They always told each other everything about what was happening in their relationships, it had just always been that way because they trusted each other. "The sex…is amazing. He's good. Great, actually. No, he hasn't stayed and nor have I. And…no, we, uh, we haven't said it yet." Scarlett blushed and struggled a little with getting out what she was trying to say for her last answer. It was something that had been plaguing her mind lately. She had been close to saying it before but, those words…they were a big leap and she knew they were true but she just thought that if she was meant to say it then it would come naturally. The last two times she had almost said it, she had been interrupted and she took that as some sort of sign saying that it wasn't the right time.

"So, does Scott know about said relationship?" Lydia asked subtly, taking out a cream-coloured dress from the rack and looking it over.

"He knows." Scarlett nodded, skimming through the other side of the rack. "He's not too pleased about it but yeah, he knows."

"Well…I'm sure he'll get over himself. Speaking of, why isn't Allison here again?"

Scarlett paused for a moment. She couldn't exactly tell her the truth: that Allison and Scott were in the woods with a stolen prison transport van because they had to keep Jackson on lockdown so that he wouldn't turn into some scaly-ass monster that was murdering people. Yeah, the truth was definitely a no-go.

"She's studying." Scarlett said simply. Lydia narrowed her eyes at Scarlett and in return Scarlett just smiled and walked away to look at shoes.

"You know, I was there too…I have a right to know what the hell is happening around here." Lydia complained, hurrying after Scarlett with an angry and upset look on her face.

"I don't really think you want to know Lyds. In fact, it's safer if you just don't ask any questions all together." Scarlett suggested, her tone sounding bitchier than she meant for it to be.

Scarlett turned when Lydia grabbed her arm and forced her to look at her. "I know that whatever is going on has something to do with me, something to do with me freaking out and wandering around in the woods for two days. And I just- I need you to tell me what you know about it because otherwise, I really am going crazy." Scarlett immediately felt sorry for her best friend because of her broken tone. She didn't like that Lydia had to be kept out of the loop but it just wasn't safe and she didn't want to have to drag yet another person into this. It wasn't right.

"You aren't crazy Lydia. Believe me." Scarlett said sincerely before noticing a pair of beautiful black heels. "And believe when I say that these would look phenomenal on you." She said with a smile, picking the shoes up and holding them out to Lydia who narrowed her eyes at them before smirking and nodding.

* * *

"So, tell me again why we're sitting here?" Scarlett asked confusedly. Both she and Lydia were sitting on Allison's bed in the dark waiting for Allison to return. Lydia hadn't really given an explanation so she just went along with it.

Before Lydia could answer, Allison walked in and went to the lamp to turn it on, gasping when she saw the girls in the mirror.

"You scared the hell out of me." Allison breathed out, giving them a weird look.

"Sorry." Scarlett apologised.

"We've been sitting here for an hour waiting on you." Lydia said, giving Allison and disappointed look.

"I can't hang out right now." Allison told them, turning back to the dresser to take her scarf off.

"Scar and I have already been hanging out." Lydia countered, looking at Scarlett and back to Allison. "And despite what you said, Scar, I need to talk to you both about what's going on."

Scarlett sighed and went to protest but Allison beat her to it. "I understand- w_e _understand," She corrected herself, looking at Scarlett. "That this is important but if it can just wait."

Lydia groaned and stood up, making Scarlett eye her wearily. "Why is everyone always telling me to wait? Why can't anyone have right now available?"

"You can't have everything right now." Allison told her, not liking Lydia's bratty tone.

"Lydia, if this is about people thinking you're crazy then there's no point in talking about it again because I already told you that you aren't." Scarlett said, falling back on the bed, worn out from the day and not in the mood for Lydia's complaints.

"You're not crazy. And anything else that you want to talk about can wait because right now, I need someone to translate five pages of Archaic Latin. Obviously that's not going to happen any time soon." Allison said with a huff.

"I know Archaic Latin." Lydia shrugged making Scarlett lean up slightly and raise a brow at her.

"How the hell do you know Archaic Latin?" Scarlett asked, not knowing whether to be impressed or surprised. It was probably a mixture of both. And a little bit of her also thought that she ought to have expected such a thing. It was Lydia after all.

"I got bored with classical Latin."

"Just how smart are you?" Allison asked, sounding impressed.

"Just, show me the pages." Lydia told her, shaking her head and holding out her hand.

A little while later Scarlett and Allison stood behind Lydia, looking over her shoulder at the computer screen that had the digital copy of the bestiary on it.

"Are you sure that's what it means?" Scarlett asked with a look of confusion.

"Miss Morell said that word meant friend. The Kanima seeks a friend." Allison said, sounding sure of herself.

Lydia shook her head, not turning to face them. "She was wrong. The word means master."

"The Kanima seeks a master." Scarlett and Allison said at the same time trying to fit the puzzle pieces together, the very few that they had anyway.

"Is that important?" Lydia asked nonchalantly, standing up from the seat and moving to sit on Allison's bed again.

Scarlett and Allison gave each other a look before Allison quickly moved to sit in the chair that Lydia had abandoned to get a better look at the screen.

"Yeah." She whispered. "Someone's _not_ protecting him…" Both she and Scarlett's eyes widened at the same time as the realisation set in.

"Someone's controlling him." Scarlett finished.

"What?" Lydia asked dully from her spot on the bed. Scarlett cleared her throat and shook her head.

"Um, nothing. It's nothing…"

"We just needed the information because the truth is…" Scarlett glared at Allison, warning her not to say anything. "That Scarlett, Scott, Stiles and myself are all part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures." Allison saved quickly making Scarlett stifle a laugh at the ridiculous story.

"Yeah, exactly." Scarlett agreed, her face not looking at all convincing.

"Whatever." Lydia rolled her eyes. "Can we talk now?"

Scarlett and Allison sighed. "Of course." Allison said, getting up from the chair so that she could join Lydia and Scarlett, who had just sat on the bed.

"So why can't you just tell me what's going on?" Lydia asked disbelievingly, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know what you want us to say. I already told you that if you absolutely had to know something then we would tell you." Scarlett said, sounding defeated. It was the truth. She didn't know what to tell Lydia. Not only was Scarlett wary about letting Lydia in on the supernatural secret but Lydia was also just asking questions that Scarlett and Allison didn't have the answers to. No one knew what had happened to Lydia and it annoyed Scarlett because she wanted to know but she didn't. She had no clue so what the hell was she supposed to tell Lydia?

"Look, you two are my best friends and best friends aren't supposed to keep each other out of the loop." Lydia told them sadly.

"We're sorry Lydia." Allison shrugged hopelessly. She didn't want to have to lie to Lydia either but there wasn't any other choice. Letting her know would be too dangerous.

Lydia nodded and pursed her lips. "Okay. Don't tell me." She said, gathering her things.

"Lydia, wait." Scarlett said, reaching out for her as she got up and stormed out of the room. Scarlett and Allison looked after her with saddened and defeated expressions. "Great. Just great."

"What were we supposed to say?" Allison asked quietly. Scarlett groaned and slapped her hands over her face, falling back onto the bed.

"I don't know. And that's not all we have to worry about now. Now we have to find out who the psychopath controlling Jackson is."

"Who do you think it is?" Allison whispered, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand.

"Someone that wants people dead?" Scarlett suggested.

Allison gave her a dry look but then cracked a smile and started laughing. Scarlett raised a brow at her friend but then began to laugh as well. She had no reason for doing so but Allison's laugh was kind of infectious. And besides, she needed to laugh. The day had been a long and stressful one what with school, the funeral, upsetting Lydia and finding out that someone was actually telling Jackson to commit these murders. It was a lot to handle and although laughing didn't seem like the mature thing to do, it was nice. Laughing meant not worrying and not worrying was always a good thing.

Once the girls had finished their laughing fit, Allison drove Scarlett back home. The house was empty when Scarlett walked in. Typical. Scott was probably with Stiles and their mom was at work.

Scarlett sighed, making herself some tea before trudging upstairs. She flung her bag to the ground and got changed into her pyjamas, turning on the TV and climbing into bed.

As Scarlett drank her tea and watched Buffy, she couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't just be like Buffy. She was strong and smart and unafraid and Scarlett longed to be like that. Granted, she wasn't completely helpless and she knew that, it was just that it seemed as if Allison was the Buffy of reality. Maybe Scarlett could learn some hunter skills from Allison and then at least she would be able to defend herself should she ever be faced with that kind of situation. God knows that Derek would do everything in his power to prevent Scarlett from being in the face of danger but he couldn't always be there to save her.

After a while of debating with herself Scarlett decided that she would ask Allison about teaching her the next time she was with her. She knew that Derek would be furious about the whole thing but that's why she wouldn't tell him. The guilt was already there just thinking about keeping things from him but it was dull and Scarlett managed to push it away.

Not much time had passed after that before she began to dose off but right before she did she heard the front door close. Not thinking anything of it, Scarlett closed her eyes again until she heard Scott and Melissa bickering with each other. Opening her eyes she got out of bed and walked out of her room and down the stairs, careful to not make any noise.

"Do you- I mean, would you rather you had your father back in your life? Is that why you're acting out like this Scott?" Scarlett heard Melissa ask quietly. There was a silence on Scott's part before Melissa started talking again. "Have you talked to Scarlett about this? Does she feel the same way?"

At the broken tone of her mother's voice, Scarlett sighed and walked through to the kitchen making her presence known.

"I don't feel that way." She said simply. Both Melissa and Scott turned to look at her and she shrugged. "Why would you think that mom?"

"Did you know? About the so called _prank _your brother and Stiles played on Jackson Whittemore?" Melissa asked sternly.

Scarlett's eyes widened a fraction and she wasn't sure of what to say. "I-I um,"

"_Did you_?" Melissa shouted making Scarlett jump.

"Yes." She answered quickly and quietly, hanging her head. "I did."

Melissa's eyes were full of anger and disappointment towards both of her children. "You're lucky he didn't pull a restraining order on you as well."

"What? A restraining order?" Scarlett asked, her surprise-filled eyes locked on Scott who nodded solemnly.

"Yes. A restraining order." Melissa snapped. "And since you decided not to tell me about this Scarlett, I'm grounding you too." Scarlett's eyes widened again and she went to plead for her mom to reconsider but Melissa wouldn't hear it. "No TV, no shopping, no parties, no friends. End of discussion."

"Mom-" Scott tried to say but Melissa cut him off.

"I said end of discussion." Melissa held out a hand to silence Scott. "I'm disappointed in you both." She said, looking at them solemnly before making her way upstairs.

Never once in Scarlett's life had she been grounded. Sure, she'd had her phone taken off of her a few times for coming home too late but that was the extent of it. Melissa never shouted at her, or Scott, the way she did just there. Not very often anyway. Scarlett knew that the whole locking Jackson up thing was going to get them into trouble but a restraining order? And their mom being pissed at them? That wasn't the kind of trouble she was expecting. She felt like a failure for disappointing Melissa. It wasn't something that she liked to do and she felt absolutely horrible about it. Scarlett and Melissa had always been so close and when she and Scott got into any sort of trouble by their mom when they were younger, Scarlett would always take it personally. It was still like that now. She knew how hard their mom worked to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table all while trying to raise them right. It couldn't be easy being a single parent and that's why Scarlett looked up to Melissa like she was a hero because that's what she was to her and disappointing Melissa felt like disrespecting her as well and who would she be to disrespect the woman she idolized?

"What exactly happened?" Scarlett asked Scott quietly, feeling guilty and upset after Melissa's outburst.

He shook his head and sighed. "Jackson told his father about what happened and he got a restraining order taken out on me and Stiles."

"Well shit. I didn't think he would go that far." Scarlett said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Neither did we." Scott shrugged.

"So what are you going to do?" Scarlett urged, needing to know how Scott and Stiles planned to fix this mess.

"I don't know." Scott admitted, leaning his head against the wall. "Go to school, go to work and try to prevent people getting murdered I guess."

"Isn't that what you do already?" Scarlett asked, incredulous.

"Yeah except now, I'm not allowed to hang out with Stiles."

"Mom took away Stiles?" Scarlett was pretty shocked at that one. Stiles and Scott were joined at the hip. How the hell were they supposed to survive without each other? Then it dawned on her that she wouldn't be allowed out to see her friends which meant no Lydia, no asking Allison about learning hunting skills and…no Derek. Fucking fantastic.

"Pretty much." Scott shrugged again, seeming really down.

Scarlett gave him a sympathetic look and actually pulled him in for a hug which he returned slowly. "We won't be grounded for long and you'll see Stiles and Allison at school and we'll find a way to stop Jackson and whoever's controlling him." She wasn't only reassuring Scott but herself as well. She had to hold onto the hope that they really wouldn't be grounded for long and she would be able to see the people she needed to see.

Scott pulled back and gave her a look. "You know about that?" He asked, referring to Jackson being controlled.

"Yeah, I was there when Lydia translated it. I take it Allison told you?" Scarlett answered. Scott nodded in reply. There was a pause between them before Scarlett asked another question. "Do you think it's someone we know?"

Scott narrowed his eyes. "The person controlling the Kanima?" Scarlett nodded grimly and Scott seemed thoughtful for a moment before answering the question in a monotone voice. "I think it could be anyone."


End file.
